I 


Division 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/historyofupperioOOfell 


HISTORY 


OF  THE 


Upper  Iowa  Conference 


OF  THE 


Metkodist  Episcopal  Ckurck 


1856-1906 


STEPHEN    NORRIS    FELLOWS.  D.  D. 


COPYRIGHT,  1907, 
BY 

vS.  N.  FELLOWS,  D. 


FOREWORD 


The  ability  to  write  history  is  a  divine  "gift"  though  not 
enumerated  by  St.  Paul  among  the  gifts  of  the  spirit.  It  requires 
patient  perseverance  in  gathering  material,  discriminating  judg- 
ment in  sifting  and  selecting  facts,  power  of  condensed  and  lucid 
expression  in  an  interesting  literary  style.  While  the  historian 
must  be  a  man  with  a  larger  vision  than  his  theme,  he  must  have 
an  intimate  knowledge  both  of  the  men  and  the  times  about  which 
he  writes  and  of  those  for  whom  he  writes.  But  even  more  neces- 
sary is  a  sympathetic  candor  and  fairness  in  both  the  narration 
of  the  past  and  the  appeal  to  the  present.  For  want  of  such  a 
man  many  an  interesting  chapter  in  human  history  must  ever 
remain  a  blank,  or  be  sadly  unappreciated. 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  is  signally  fortunate  in  having 
such  a  man  in  the  person  of  Rev.  S.  N.  Fellows.  When,  in  1904 
it  was  decided  to  celebrate  the  Semi-Centennial  of  its  organiza- 
tion the  Conference  turned  as  one  man  to  him  as  the  person  most 
eminently  fitted  to  place  in  permanent  form  the  story  of  the 
labors  and  struggles  of  those  who  planted  Methodism  in  North- 
eastern Iowa.  He  has  been  in  the  "effective"  ranks  since  the 
organization  of  the  Conference.  He  has  known  personally,  well 
nigh  every  member,  and  he  has  been  known  and  honored  by  all. 
A  minister  of  Christ  devoted  to  his  Church,  a  Methodist  who  loves 
Methodist  history  and  traditions;  an  educator  who,  in  twenty- 
six  years  in  the  colleges,  has  been  a  moulder  of  manhood'  and  a 
maker  of  history;  a  man  of  wisdom,  gladly  looked  to  as  a  counselor 
by  young  and  old ;  a  scholar  with  the  gifts  and  spirit  of  a  real  his- 
torian,— to  Dr.  S.  N.  FeUows  the  Conference  felt  that  it  could 
commit  this  historfcal  task  with  perfect  confidence  that  it  would 
be  well  done. 

The  Semi-Centennial  Commission,  appointed  by  the  Confer- 
ence to  co-operate  in  the  publication  of  the  book,  have  done  their 
work,  and  now,  in  the  hope  that  it  wUl  meet  with  a  hearty  and 
appreciative  reception,  the  "History  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Confer- 
ence" is  presented  to  the  Conference  and  the  public. 

'E.  J.  LocKWOOD,  Chairman. 
L.  C.  Clahk,  Secretary. 
Commission        <^  Wm.  Lease. 

B.  C.  Barnes. 
W.  W.  Carlton. 


INTRODUCTION 


The  preparation  of  the  following  pages  has  been  one  of  diffi- 
culty and  of  delicacy.  Early  circuits  were  hundreds  of  miles  in 
extent  and  were  named  from  groves,  prairies,  creeks  and  rivers, 
where  earliest  settlements  were  made.  Names  of  circuits  were 
frequently  changed  as  settlements  changed  in  size  and  impor- 
tance. The  first  preaching  places  were  cabins  and  school  houses, 
that  have  long  since  disappeared.  The  subsequent  building  of 
railroads  completely  changed  the  centers  of  population  and  caused 
a  removal  of  primitive  country  churches  to  railroad  towns.  Be- 
sides, there  is  an  almost  entire  absence  of  written  records  of  the 
earliest  times.  All  these  conditions  add  greatly  to  the  difficulty 
of  the  study  of  that  early  history. 

So  far  as  is  known  to  him,  the  writer  has  availed  himself  of 
all  reliable  sources  of  true  history.  He  would  acknowledge  his 
indebtedness  to  the  records  and  papers  of  the  Conference  Histori- 
cal Society,  the  journals  of  the  Conference,  the  "Battle  Field 
Reviewed"  by  Landon  Taylor,  "The  Makers  of  Early  Iowa 
Methodism  "  by  A.  W.  Haines  of  the  Iowa  Conference,  and  the 
addresses  of  E.  H.  Waring  of  the  Iowa  Conference,  and  R.  W. 
Keeler  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  The  work  has  been  one  of 
collection,  selection,  and  condensation.  The  writer  has  freely  ap- 
propriated language  where  it  seemed  fitting,  and  sought  only 
to  give  the  largest  amount  of  true  history  within  the  limits  of  the 
small  volume  desired.  He  would  prefer  that  instead  of  a  history 
it  should  be  called  an  historical  sketch,  or  a  contribution  to  the 
history  of  Methodism  within  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  He 
does  not  hope  or  expect  the  volume  to  be  without  errors ;  but  he 
does  hope  and  believe  that  these  errors  will  neither  be  many  nor 
serious. 


The  preparation  of  this  history  has  been  a  labor  of  love. 
Nearly  all  whose  names  appear  on  its  pages  were  personally  known 
by  the  writer,  and  many,  very  many,  he  counted  as  his  personal 
friends.  The  writing  has  recalled  many  incidents,  both  pleasing 
and  sad. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  writing  will  serve  to  rescue  some  worthy 
names  from  unmerited  oblivion,  to  give  the  present  and  future 
generations  a  more  just  appreciation  of  the  great  leaders  of  the 
Conference  in  the  formative  period  of  its  history,  to  increase  the 
"esprit  de  corps"  of  the  Conference,  and  to  inspire  the  preach- 
ers of  to-day  to  seek  the  spirit  and  emulate  the  zeal  of  the  fathers. 

The  writer  trusts  that  this  volume,  written  by  request  of  the 
Conference,  and  probably  his  last  work  for  the  Conference,  will 
be  as  charitably  received  as  have  been  his  former  labors. 

With  a  prayer  for  the  blessing  of  God  upon  all  who  may 
peruse  its  pages  and  upon  the  Conference  in  whose  interest  it  has 
been  written,  this  volume  is  affectionately  submitted  by 

The  Author. 


CONTENTS 


FOREWORD 
INTRODUCTION 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Planting  of  Methodism  in  Iowa,  1833  to  1839   9-20 

Dubuque — Burlington— Rockingham — Davenport 

CHAPTER  II 

The  Iowa  District,  1839  to  1844   21-28 

Henry  Summers,  the  first  Presiding  Elder — Extent  of  Dis- 
trict—Old Time  Quarterly  Meetings 

CHAPTER  III 

Thb  Iowa  Conference,  1844  to  1856   29-39 

First  Appointments — Rapid  Extension  of  the  Churches— Re- 
quest for  Division — Pioneer  Travels  and  Hardships 

CHAPTER  IV 

The  First  Year  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference   40-52  - 

First   Appointments — Leaders  in  the    Conference— Typical 
Experiences 

CHAPTER  V 

Higher  Education   53-64 

Policy  of  the  Conference — Founding  and  Growth  of  Cornell 
College,  Upper  Iowa  University  and  Epworth  Seminary 

CHAPTER  VI 

Church  Extension     65-71 

Origin  of  this  Movement,  both  in  the  Conference  and  the 
General  Church— A.  J.  Kynett. 

CHAPTER  VII 

Boundaries   72-80 

Establishment  of  Boundaries  of  the  Conference — Efforts  to 
Change  Boundaries 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Patriotism  and  Moral  Reform   81-89 

Loyalty  of  the  Conference  in  the  Civil  War— Resolutions  on 
Slavery,  Temperance,  the  Sabbath  and  Tobacco 

CHAPTER  IX 

Bbnevolences  and  the  Superannuates    90-96 

Aggregate  of  Collections  in  Fifty  Years— Superannuates' 
Claims — Mutual  Aid  Society — Claimant  Fund 

CHAPTER  X 

Organizations  of  the  Church   97-101 

Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society — Woman's  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society — Epworth  League 

CHAPTER  XI 

Biographical  Sketches  102-152 

Ministers  and  Laj-men 

CHAPTER  XII 

Statistical  Tables   153-159 

Date  of  Organization  of  Churches— A  Half-Century's  Mem- 
bership— Sessions  of  the  Conference 

CHAPTER  XIII 

Record  of  Officials  160-166 

List  of  Presiding  Elders— Delegates  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence— Delegates  to  the  Aecumenical  Conference 

CHAPTER  XIV 

Roll  of  the  Dead  and  Widows  of  Deceased  Members  -..167-173 

CHAPTER  XV 

Historical  Register    174-183 

An  Alphabetical  List  of  Former  Members  of  the  Conference 
Who  Severed  Their  Connection  with  the  Confer- 
ence Other-w4se  Than  by  Death 

CHAPTER  XVI 

Ministerial  Record  184-217 

A  Complete  record  of  the  name  of  charges  served  and  years 
of  service  of  every  living  member  of  the  Conference 


CHAPTER  XVII 


Methodism  in  Iowa  218-221 

A  comparative  view  of  all  the  Conferences  in  the  state,  in  re- 
spect to  ministers,    members,  chm-ches  and  institu- 
tions of  learning,  including  a  summary  showing 
the  strength  of  Methodism  in  Iowa 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


Semi-Centennial  Celebration  222-260 

A  brief  account  of  the  celebration  and  the  addresses  of  S.  N. 
Fellows  and  T.  E.  Fleming 


EARLV  IOWA  METHODISIM 


9 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PLANTING  OF  METHODISM  IN  IOWA 

Prior  to  1833,  the  Indians  roamed  in  undisputed  possession 
of  all  territory  north  of  the  State  of  Missouri  and  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  For  centuries  these  beautiful  prairies  had  lain  in  vir- 
gin loveliness  untouched  by  the  hand  of  civilized  man.  These 
prairies  and  small  native  groves  that  skirted  the  water  courses  had 
been  the  home  of  the  buffalo  and  the  deer. 

In  February,  1833,  at  the  close  of  the  "Black  Hawk  War", 
a  treaty  was  formed  with  the  Indians  by  which  was  acquired  the 
"Black  Hawk  Purchase.  "  This  consisted  of  a  strip  of  land  about 
fifty  miles  wide  along  the  west  shore  of  the  Mississippi  River  and 
extending  fi:om  the  Turkey  River  on  the  north  to  the  Missouri  line 
on  the  south.  The  new  territory  thus  acquired  was  not  yet  named 
Iowa,  but  was  known  as  the  "Black  Hawk  Purchase." 

For  many  years  the  fame  of  the  beautiful  valleys,  groves  and 
rivers,  the  fertile  prairies  covered  with  nutritious  grass  and  bril- 
liant with  wild  flowers,  had  reached  the  distant  east.  Thousaiids 
of  people  were  waiting  impatiently  for  the  removal  of  the  red  man 
from  such  a  fair  land.  When  on  June  1,  1833,  "Black  Hawk 
Purchase"  was  opened  to  settlement  by  the  whites,  almost  im- 
mediately the  white  top  emigrant  wagons  lined  the  roads  leading 
to  this  land  of  promise.  On  account  of  scarcity  of  fuel,  building 
material  and  water,  it  was  generally  believed  that  the  vast  prairies 
were  practically  uninhabitable.  Hence  the  first  settlements  were 
made  along  the  Mississippi  River  and  in  the  valleys  of  tributaries 
wliose  banks  were  usually  skirted  with  native  groves.  The  home 
seekers  sought  not  only  for  the  best  springs,  timber,  and  farm 
locations  but  also  for  minerals,  town  sites,  and  water  power. 
Before  the  close  of  1833,  there  was  a  population  of  four  or  five 


lO 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


hundred  in  the  vicinity  of  the  "Spanish  lead  mines",  a  town  site 
was  selected  and  this  first  village  of  Iowa  was  called  Dubuque.  A 
pioneer  thus  describes  the  village  during  the  winter  of  1833  and  1834 : 

"The  valley  resounded  to  the  woodman's  axe;  the  sturdy 
oak  fell  before  them  on  every  side.  The  branches  were  used  for 
fuel,  and  of  the  trunks  were  constructed  rude  log  cabins  without 
doors  or  windows.  Three  openings  served  for  the  entrance  of 
light  and  the  settlers,  and  the  egress  of  the  smoke.  The  winter 
of  that  year  (1833-34)  shut  us  in  from  all  communication  with 
the  outside  world,  with  a  short  supply  of  provisions,  and  not  a 
woman  in  the  settlement.  There  was  plenty  of  whiskey,  and  the 
demon  intemperance  stalked  everywhere  during  the  long  winter 
evenings  and  short  bleak  days.  The  cholera  claimed  many  vic- 
tim?, and  the  sick  lay  down  and  died  with  no  gentle  hand  to  nurse 
them,  no  medical  aid  to  relieve,  and  no  kindred  or  friends  to  mourn 
their  untimely  fate.  We  had  no  mails,  no  government,  and  were 
subject  to  no  restraint  of  law  or  society.  Drinking  and  gambling 
were  universal  amusements,  and  criminals  were  only  amenable 
to  the  penalties  inflicted  by  Judge  I^ynch,  from  whose  summary 
decrees  there  was  no  appeal.  In  the  spring  of  1834  a  transient 
steamer  came  up  from  Saint  Louis  bringing  provisions,  groceries, 
goods  and  newspapers.  A  few  women  also  came  to  join  their 
husbands,  and  from  that  time  on  we  began  to  exhibit  some  ele- 
ments of  civilization. " 

The  writer  of  the  above  failed  to  note  that  wnthin  the  village 
he  described  was  a  pioneer  Methodist  itinerant  preacher,  a  brave 
heroic  man,  who,  regularly  on  the  Sabbath  day,  preached  Christ 
and  Him  crucified  to  the  rough  miners  of  that  primitive  village 
and  vicinity. 

At  the  session  of  the  Illiniois  Conference,  held  September  25, 
1833,  Barton  H.  Randall  and  John  T.  Mitchell  were  appointed  to 
the  "Galena  and  Dubuque  Mission."    John  Sinclair  as  presiding 


EARLY  IOWA  METHODISM 


II 


elder  of  the  Chicago  District,  superintended  a  vast  field,  extend- 
ing from  Chicago,  then  a  village  of  about  five  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, south  to  Peoria  and  west  to  Galena  and  Dubuque.  Elder 
Sinclair  visited  Galena,  but  he  did  not  that  year  extend  his  visit 
to  Dubuque. 

Randall  and  Mitchell  arrived  in  the  village  of  Dubuque  on 
November  6.  1S33.  and  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  Randall 
preached  in  the  tavern  of  Mr.  J.  M.  Harrison,  situated  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Hotel  Julien.  This  sermon  is  believed  to  be  the  first 
preached  on  loAva  soil.  On  the  following  evening,  Mitchell  preach- 
ed the  second  sermon  in  the  same  place.  On  account  of  diffi- 
culty in  crossing  the  Mississippi  River,  the  mission  was  soon  prac- 
tically divided,  Mitchell  remaining  at  Galena  and  Randall  taking 
charge  of  the  new  work  in  Dubuque.  For  awhile  Randall  remain- 
ed at  the  tavern;  but  finding  his  surroundings  unpleasant,  he 
sought  "a  more  quiet  place  to  read,  think,  pray,  write,  sleep  and 
eat;  and  procured  an  upper  room  in  an  unfurnished  warehouse 
for  a  preaching  place.  "  He  fitted  up  a  shanty  for  his  house  where 
he  coidd  enjoy  his  own  '"  boughtenfeed  ".  During  the  winter  of 
1833-34,  he  preached  regularly  to  the  rough  miners  of  Dubuque, 
and  established  several  appointments  near  by.  At  Peru,  four 
miles  above  Dubuque,  he  preached  in  a  billiard  hall  which  was 
prepared  as  described  by  a  witness:  "The  table  was  shoved  to 
the  wall,  the  trapezium  neatly  covered  by  a  cloth,  the  balls  rolled 
into  the  sockets,  and  the  mace  rods  carefully  concealed.  The 
people  gathered  in  to  see  and  to  hear  what  the  preacher  woidd  do 
in  a  billiard  room. "  The  table  resembled  a  coffin  and  Mr.  Ran- 
dall proceeded  to  preach  the  funeral  sermon  of  the  place,  and  had 
the  satisfaction  to  learn  "that  the  devil  never  returned  to  remove 
his  traps."  The  place  was  sold  and  the  proceeds  applied  to  re- 
ligious uses. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1834,  "being  urged  thereto  by  certain 


12 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


friendly  sinners,"  Randall  undertook  the  erection  of  a  meeting 
house  in  Dubuque,  the  first  of  its  kind  in  Iowa.  The  subscrip- 
tion paper  describes  it  as,  "a  hewn  log  house,  20  by  26  feet  in 
the  clear,  one  story  ten  feet  high,  upper  and  lower  floors;  to  be 
pointed  with  lime  and  sand;  and  batten  door;  four  twenty  light 
and  one  twelve  light  windows.  Cost  estimated  for  completing 
in  good  style,  $255.00. "  (The  original  subscription  paper,  with 
signatures,  is  preserved  in  a  neat  frame  covered  with  glass,  in  the 
Historical  Library  of  the  State  University  at  Iowa  City,  a 
facsimile  of  which,  reduced  in  size,  and  also  a  view  of  the  log 
church  itself,  is  herewith  inserted.) 

Work  on  this  building  was  commenced  June  23,  1834,  and 
under  date  of  July  25,  following,  it  is  recorded :  "  Raised  the  meet- 
ing house  with  a  few  hands  and  without  any  spirits  of  any  kind. " 
This  was  doubtless  a  notable  exception  to  the  common  usage  of 
the  place  and  time.  A  "two  days  meeting"  was  held  in  it  as 
soon  as  completed.  Over  his  success,  Randall,  the  Iowa  Pioneer, 
was  jubilant.  "Well  done!"  he  exclaimed,  "to  collect  money, 
build  a  splendid  meeting  house  and  pay  for  it,  hold  a  two  days 
meeting  and  receive  twelve  members,  all  in  four  weeks!  Oh!  it 
was  the  Lord's  doing,  let  Him  have  the  glory.    Amen.  " 

The  first  Methodist  society  in  Dubuque  (and  it  is  believed 
the  first  in  Iowa)  was  organized  by  Barton  Randall,  May  18,  1834; 
and  the  first  class  meeting  occurred  June  1,  1834.  The  names 
of  the  twelve  original  members  of  this  first  society  were:  John 
Johnston,  Leader,  Susan  Johnston,  Woodbury  Massie,  Susan 
Massie,  Robert  Bell,  Wm.  Hillery,  Mrs.  Susan  A.  Dean,  Abigail 
Wilder,  Mary  Ann  Jordan,  Patrick  Smith,  Frances  Anderson,  and 
Mrs.  Charlotte  Morgan  (colored). 

Randall  preached  his  last  sermon  in  Dubuque,  August  10, 
1834;  and  for  his  year's  labor  received  less  than  one  lunich-ed 


EARLY  IOWA  METHODISM 


13 


dollars,  ten  of  which  was  the  donation  of  a  noted  gambler  of  the 
town. 

Barton  H.  Randall  was  born  in  Georgia  in  1796  and  converted 
in  1812.  In  1831  he  entered  the  Illinois  Conference  and  contin- 
ued in  the  active  ministry  until  1845,  when  he  was  injured  by  a 
shock  he  received  from  a  stroke  of  lightning  from  which  he  never 
fully  recovered.  He  lived,  however,  until  nearly  ninety  years  of 
age,  an  honored  superannuated  member  of  the  Illinois  Conference. 
He  well  deserves  to  be  called  the  Father  of  Iowa  Methodism. 

John  T.  Mitchell,  who  was  Randall's  colleague  on  the  Galena 
Mission  and  who  preached  the  second  sermon  in  Iowa,  was  a  man 
whose  name  was  to  become  well  known  to  the  church,  being  elect- 
ed by  the  General  Conference  of  1844,  Assistant  Publishing  Agent 
of  the  Western  Methodist  Book  Concern.  "He  was  possessed 
with  great  and  growing  powers,  combining  in  a  marked  degree 
social,  intellectual,  and  moral  qualities.  "    He  died  in  1863. 

In  October,  1834,  N.  S.  Bastion  was  sent  to  the  Dubuque 
Mission  where  he  preached  one  year.  He  is  represented  as  "a 
man  with  good  scholarship,  considerable  business  talent,  fair 
preaching  ability  and  some  eccentricity. "  Later  he  was  appoint- 
ed to  Burlington  and  had  much  to  do  with  building  "Old  Zion 
Church.  "  He  afterwards  went  as  a  missionary  to  Africa  and  at 
one  time,  in  the  absence  of  a  bishop,  he  presided  over  the  Liberia 
Conference.  He  finally  returned  to  Illinois  where  he  spent  his 
remaining  days. 

At  the  conference  session  held  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  1835, 
Henry  W.  Reed,  a  recent  transfer  from  the  New  York  Conference, 
was  appointed  to  Dubuque.  Randall  and  Bastion  had  been  ap- 
pointed missionaries  to  the  "Dubuque  Mission."  As  Dubuque 
at  this  time  (1835)  ceased  to  be  called  a  mission  and  became  a 
circuit,  the  preacher  in  charge,  H.  W.  Reed,  was  the  first  regularly 
appointed  Methodist  preacher  in  Iowa.    Here  Reed  began  his 


14 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


labors  in  Iowa,  and  for  many  years  he  was  closely  identified  with 
the  interests  of  both  church  and  state. 

The  first  regular  quarterly  conference  of  the  "Dubuque  Cir- 
cuit "  was  held  in  the  log  meeting  house  in  Dubuque  on  the  14th 
day  of  November,  1835,  Alfred  Brunson,  Presiding  Elder.  Brun- 
son's  District  included  all  of  northern  Illinois  and  the  northern 
portion  of  the  work  in  Iowa.  In  his  Journal  he  writes:  "All  my 
quarterly  meetings  are  held  in  private  cabins  except  in  the  log 
church  of  Dubuque. "  Elder  Brunson  was  a  recent  transfer  from 
the  Pittsburg  Conference  and  was  one  of  the  strong  men  of  his 
generation.  In  July,  1836,  he  removed  to  Prairie  Du  Chien, 
Wisconsin,  to  labor  among  the  Indians.  During  the  civil  war  he 
was  army  chaplain  for  one  year.  He  was  four  times  elected  to 
the  General  Conference,  and  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
religious  and  secular  journals  of  the  times.  He  died  at  Prairie 
Du  Chien  in  1882. 

At  the  close  of  the  conference  year  1836,  Dubuque  is  reported 
as  having  "fifty-six  members,  one  Sabbath  School  in  town,  one 
superintendent,  six  teachers  and  fifty  volumes  of  books. " 

While  Randall  and  Reed  were  thus  engaged  in  establishing 
Methodism  in  northern  Iowa,  a  separate  and  similar  movement 
resulted  in  planting  the  Church  in  southern  Iowa.  On  March 
23,  1834,  Peter  Cartwright,  Presiding  Elder  of  Quincy  District, 
Illinois  Conference,  commissioned  Barton  H.  Cartwright  "to 
preach  and  form  societies  in  the  Flint  Hills  settlement  (now 
Burlington),  if  practicable  and  to  make  report  thereof  to  the 
Church.  "  In  compliance  with  these  orders,  Barton  H.  Cartwright 
proceeded  at  once  to  his  work.  That  he  miglit  be  independent, 
he  preferred  to  rely  upon  his  own  labor  for  support,  and  refused 
any  compensation  for  his  ministerial  work.  With  heroic  ^elf- 
sacrifice  and  unconquerable  faith  and  zeal,  he  started  for  his  mis- 
sion "with  four  yoke  of  oxen,  a  breaking  plow  and  a  load  of  pro- 


410-  L,  j63c^  A.  <?^^j 


{l^i?u~c   ^-crvc^  0(f    ^txJ^    /o^  Jhu 

<f^        f^UA/fiit^uJ,  tS^U^Ai^a/,  ^/uLA^i,^  a/£x<.,n(!^ 


75 


_  1 


The  accoiupaii\  iiiK  fac  simile  plates  are  from  the  original  paper  preserved  i 
while  the  ink  has  faile.l  in  some  degree,  it  is  yet  quite  plain.    The  rej: 


EARLY  IOWA  METHODISM 


•5 


vender. "  His  time  was  divided  between  breaking  prairie  for 
the  settlers  in  the  day  time,  and  holding  meetings  at  night  and  on 
the  Sabbath.  To  get  money  for  necessaries,  at  times  he  also  car- 
ried wood  on  the  steamboats  that  landed  for  a  supply.  But  his 
preaching,  if  thus  humble  in  its  surroundings,  was  not  the  less 
successful.  The  service  in  Burlington  was  held  in  the  cabin  of 
Dr.  W.  R.  Ross,  a  log  building  of  one  room,  which  served  as  kitchen, 
parlor,  chamber,  and  meeting  house.  Here  Cartwright  organ- 
ized the  first  class  of  six  persons  with  Dr.  Ross  as  class  leader. 
This  was  probably  in  June,  1834. 

Mr.  Cartwright,  then  twenty-four  years  of  age,  is  thus  de- 
scribed as  he  appeared  on  that  occasion:  "He  was  a  young  man, 
in  vigorous  health,  and  of  good  proportions,  dressed  in  plain 
linen  pants,  homemade  cotton  vest,  common  shoes,  without  socks, 
with  no  coat,  and  a  common  chip  hat."  Another  calls  him,  "a 
man  with  a  big  head  and  a  good  one,  of  a  broad  breast  and  heavy 
shoulders,  having  a  mouth  plentifully  wide,  with  lungs  capable  of 
the  highest  degree  of  intonation,  who  could  make  bass  enoug^i  for 
any  congregation,  and  sustain  a  prayer  meeting  to  the  end,  with- 
out fear,  favor  or  affectation,  and  as  honest  as  old  Abe  Lincoln 
himself. " 

The  greatest  event  of  the  year  was  the. visit  to  Burlington  of 
the  renowned  ecclesiastical  chieftain  and  presiding  elder,  Peter 
Cartwright.  An  eye  witness  says  of  him :  "  His  eye  was  unblench- 
ed,  his  body  firm,  his  step  elastic  and  his  stature  erect.  Al!  his 
social  powers  were  in  full  and  lively  play,  and  his  mental  forces 
retained  the  strength  and  character  of  earlier  years.  "  Ther^'  -.vore 
but  few  cabins  in  the  place  and  only  a  scattered  population.  As 
the  cabins  were  small  and  not  one  could  hold  the  people,  they  met 
in  a  grove  on  Xorth  Hill  and  there,  standing  on  a  bent  tree  with 
a  board  for  a  stan.d,  Cartwriglit  declared  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ. 


i6 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Barton  H.  Cartwriglit  established  preaching  not  only  in 
Burlington,  but  at  other  settlements  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
gathered  quite  a  number  into  the  societies  he  had  formed.  At 
the  close  of  the  year  he  was  sent  to  another  field,  and  after  labor- 
ing several  years  in  Iowa  he  returned  to  the  Illinois  and  then  to 
the  Rock  River  Conference,  of  which  he  continued  a  member 
until  his  death.  John  H.  Ruble  succeeded  Cartwright  at  Burling- 
ton. When  the  needs  of  the  settlers  in  Iowa  were  presented  in 
his  conference  and  a  call  made  for  volunteers,  young  Ruble,  then 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  responded,  "Here  am  I,  send  me." 
He  entered  upon  his  work  with  zeal  and  earnest  heroism,  but  the 
following  spring  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and  died.  His  d.eath 
occurred,  April  14,  1836,  the  first  itinerant  in  Iowa  to  pass  from 
the  church  militant  to  the  church  triumphant. 

In  the  minutes  of  the  Illinois  Conference  session  held  at 
Union  Grove,  Illinois,  September  25,  1833,  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  is 
named  as  a  mission  of  the  Quincy  District,  Peter  Cartwright, 
Presiding  Elder,  and  Asa  McMurtry,  preacher  for  Rock  Island  Mis- 
sion. It  is  related  that  McMurtry  preached  a  few  times  in  Rock- 
ingham, Iowa,  a  small  village  four  miles  below  the  present  city  of 
Davenport.  At  that  time  it  was  expected  that  Rockingham, 
being  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Rock  River,  a  stream  regarded  as 
navigable,  would  become  a  great  city.  In  1834  C.  D.  James  was 
sent  to  Rock  Island  Mission.  He  preached  quite  often  in  Rock- 
ino'ham.  A  Methodist  class  was  organized  in  Rockingham  with 
Oihneil  Davenport,  leader,  in  1836,  and  at  the  session  of  the 
Illinois  Conference  held  in  October  of  the  same  year,  Rockingham 
Circuit  was  formed,  believed  to  be  the  third  circuit  formed  in  Iowa, 
and  Chauncey  Hobart  was  appointed  to  the  circuit.  It  was  a 
circuit  of  about  two  hundred  miles,  extending  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Iowa  River  on  the  south  to  the  Wapsipinicon  River  on  the  north, 
and  as  far  into  the  interior  as  any  white  settlers  were  to  be  found. 


EARLY  IOWA  METHODISM 


17 


Rockingham  was  the  center  of  missionary  operations  for  several 
years,  and  was  the  parent  charge  from  which  were  formed  the 
multiplying  appointments  of  the  southeastern  portion  of  tlie  Upper 
Iowa  Conference.  To  its  brave  missionaries,  Chauncey  Hobart, 
B.  H.  Cartwright,  and  their  associates  belongs  the  honor  of  plant- 
ing Methodism  in  all  that  part  of  Iowa. 

Chauncey  Hobart  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war 
and  was  well  fitted  by  experience  to  endure  all  the  hardships  of 
such  a  field  of  labor,  to  travel  a  country  whose  road-ways  were 
iily  defined,  its  streams  unbridged,  and  its  inhabitants  scattered. 
He  could,  at  need,  swim  rivers  and,  when  night  overtook  him, 
sleep  by  the  side  of  a  log  with  his  faithful  horse  for  company,  and 
the  contents  of  his  saddle-bags  his  only  reliance  for  creature  com- 
forts. Nay,  that  was  not  all;  for  "the  Angel  of  the  Lord  encamp- 
eth  around  about  them  that  fear  him,"  and  "they  that  seek  the 
Lord  shall  not  want  any  good  thing. "  Chauncey  Hobart  soon 
afterwards  went  to  Minnesota  and  for  many  years  was  a  leading 
member  of  that  conference. 

In  1838  Chauncey  Hobart  was  succeeded  by  his  brother, 
Norris  Hobart.  B.  H.  CartwTight  and  H.  J.  Bruce  were  appointed 
to  this  circuit  in  1839,  both  being  married  men.  The  total  quar- 
terage reported  for  a  quarter  was  a  silver  dime,  which  the  pre- 
siding elder  and  two  preachers  found  difficulty  in  dividing  equit- 
ably between  them.  H.  J.  Bruce  was  compelled  to  borrow  a  coat 
in  which  to  make  himself  presentable  at  conference. 

In  1839  William  L.  Cook,  leader  of  the  class  in  Rockingham, 
was  requested  to  sever  his  connection  with  that  class  and,  if  he 
could  succeed  in  finding  members  enough,  to  form  a  class  in  Daven- 
port. He  found  five  others  besides  himself  and  wife;  a  class  was 
formed  and  W.  L.  Cook  appointed  leader.  For  more  than  forty 
years  thereafter  Cook  filled  the  offices  of  class  leader  and  steward. 

In  1841  Da\enport  having  grown  to  be  a  village  of  three 


i8 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


hundred  inhabitants,  it  was  determined  to  build  a  church.  The 
preacher,  David  Worthington,  being  a  carpenter  by  trade,  like 
Paul  labored  with  his  own  hands  in  the  erection  and  building  of 
the  church.  As  soon  as  it  was  finished  a  quarterly  meeting  was 
held  and  the  meeting  protracted  for  five  or  six  weeks,  and  about 
fifty  members  were  added  to  the  church.  Hiram  Price,  after- 
wards Member  of  Congress  from  Iowa,  thus  describes  the  early 
condition  of  the  church  in  Davenport: 

"Our  little  brick  church  as  it  stood  alone  on  Perry  Street 
below  Fifth,  no  fence,  no  shutters,  was  rather  a  lonesome  object. 
There  was  no  pulpit  except  a  big  pine  box— the  seats  were  made 
partly  of  slabs,  flat  side  up,  supported  by  legs  inserted  in  two- 
inch  auger  holes.  The  chandelier  was  a  block  of  wood,  suspended 
by  a  rope  from  the  ceiling.  In  this  block  three-quarter  inch  holes 
were  bored  into  which  holes  tallow  candles  were  inserted.  In 
those  days  we  had  no  pavements,  but  we  did  have  plenty  of  mud. 
The  collections  were  emphatically  i)enny  collections,  and  so  small 
that  I  was  ashamed  to  cfiileet  them.  The  fact  is  we  were  all 
pretty  close  to  the  foot  of  fortune's  financial  ladder.  I  finally 
agreed  to  (in  all  the  sextnii's  work  for  one  year,  on  condition  that 
no  collection  should  he  taken  for  inciilental  expenses.  The  propo- 
sition was  accepted,  aiid  for  one  year  I  did  all  tlie  sexton's  work. 
I  did  the  best  I  could  but  riever  graduated  as  sexton.  I  confess 
to  an  affection  for  the  little  old  building  and  its  associations. 
During  my  fifty-seven  years  as  mem.ber  of  this  church  I  have  been 
from  time  to  time  recording  steward,  trustee,  classleader,  Sunday 
School  sunerinteiident,  lay  delegate  to  two  General  Conferences, 
and  sexton,  and  am  just  as  proud  of  having  been  sexton  as  of  any 
of  the  other  positions. " 

At  the  session  of  the  Illinois  Conference  held  in  Mount  Carmel, 
Illinois,  October  1,  1836,  Maquoketa  Mission  was  established, 
including  the  scattered  settlements  of  Jackson  County,  with 


EARLY  IOWA  METHODISM 


19 


George  Smith,  preacher  in  charge.  The  name  was  changed  to  the 
Bellevue  Mission  in  1837,  Bellevue  being  the  county  seat  at  that 
time,  and  John  Crummer  was  appointed  to  it.  In  1838  William 
Simpson  was  sent  to  the  Mission  and  in  March  of  the  following  year 
he  organized  a  class  of  five  members  with  Thomas  Wright,  leader, 
in  what  was  afterwards  the  town  of  Maquoketa. 

George  Smith  preached  the  first  sermon  and  organized  a 
class  in  Bellevue  in  1836. 

During  the  year  1837.  Chauncey  Hobart  of  the  Iowa  River 
Mission  extended  his  travels  into  Cedar  County,  and  in  the  house 
of  Colonel  Henry  Hardman  preached  the  first  sermon  and  organized 
the  first  class  in  that  county.  From  that  time  this  was  a  regular 
appointment  for  preaching,  and  quarterly  meetings  were  often 
held  there. 

In  1838  the  Illinois  Conference  assembled  at  Alton.  The 
reports  from  Iowa  were  regarded  as  very  encouraging,  and  em- 
braced about  seven  hundred  and  forty  members  distributed  as 
follows:  Dubuque  Mission,  forty-four;  Bellevue,  one  hundred; 
Rockingham,  one  hundred  and  thirty-one;  Burlington,  forty-five; 
Mount  Pleasant,  one  hundred  and  ninety-two;  and  Fort  Madison, 
two  hundred  and  twenty-six. 

This  conference  made  the  following  apiiointnients  for  Iowa: 
Dubuque  Mission,  G.  G.  Worthingtun; 
Bellevue,  Wm.  Simpson. 
These  were  in  the  Galena  District,  Bartholomew  Weed, 
Presiding  Elder. 

Rockingham,  Henry  J.  Bruce; 
Burlington,  Joel  Arrington,  Moses  McMurtry; 
Fort  Madison,  Joseph  C.  Kirkpatrick. 
These  constituted  a  part  of  Rock  Island  District,  Henry  Sum- 
mers, Presiding  Elder. 

The  circuits  in  northern  Iowa  from  1833  to  1838  were  in- 


20 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


eluded  first  in  Cliicago  District  and  later  in  Galena  District,  Illi- 
nois Conference.  John  Sinclair,  Alfred  Branson,  Hooper  Crews 
and  Bartholomew  Weed,  all  men  of  mark  and  ability,  were  suc- 
cessively presiding  elders.  The  circuits  of  southern  Iowa  were 
embraced  successively  within  Quincy  and  Rock  Island  Districts 
of  the  same  conference,  Peter  Cartwright  and  Henry  Summers  be- 
ing presiding  elders. 

In  1838  Iowa  Territory  was  organized  with  a  population  of 
22,859  scattered  along  the  eastern  and  southern  portion  of  the 
Territory. 

The  returns  from  the  Iowa  circuits,  in  the  fall  of  1839,  showed 
a  total  membership  in  the  Territory  of  1,081. 


THE  IOWA  DISTRICT 


21 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  IOWA  DISTRICT 

At  the  session  of  the  Illinois  Conference  held  in  Bloomington  in 
1839,  the  presiding  Bishop,  Thomas  A.  Morris,  announced  to  his 
objecting  cabinet  his  purpose  to  form  a  presiding  elder's  district 
in  Iowa.  The  presiding  elders  protested  earnestly  but  the  Bishop 
adhered  to  his  purpose  and  arranged  the  circuits  and  missions  as 
follows : 

Iowa  District,  Henry  Summers,  Presiding  Elder. 
Fort  Madison,  W.  H.  Taylor; 
Burlington,  Joel  Arrington; 
Rockingham,  B.  H.  Cartwright,  H.  J.  Bruce; 
Fox  River  Mission,  M.  H.  McMurtry; 
Manchester  Mission,  James  F.  Flanders; 
Bellevue  Mission,  Thomas  W.  Pope; 
Dubuque,  I.  I.  Stewart; 
Richland  Mission,  Jesse  Herbert; 
Iowa  Mission,  Joseph  L.  Kirkpatrick. 

Manchester  was  an  ephemeral  town  somewhere  by  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  and  the  Mission  covered  the  territory  along  the  Wap- 
sipinicon  River.  Dubuque,  Rockingham,  and  Bellevue  Mission 
were  the  only  other  circuits  within  the  present  limits  of  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  Iowa  District  as  above  outlined, 
extended  from  the  Turkey  River  on  the  north  to  the  Missouri  line 
on  the  south,  and  embraced  nine  circuits  and  missions.  Over 
this  vast  field,  then  an  almost  bridgeless  and  roadless  wilderness, 
the  indomitable  Summers  constantly  traveled,  holding  meetings 
in  new  settlements,  looking  up  new  fields  of  labor,  attending  quar- 


22 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERKNCE 


terly  meetings,  and  performing  all  that  the  superintendency  re- 
quired. 

Under  his  supervision  were  the  preachers  of  the  district,  each 
traveling  a  circuit  several  hundred  miles  around.  The  people 
among  whom  the)'  labored  had  lately  come  to  this  new  country. 
The  endearments  of  the  old  home  in  another  land,  the  home  of 
childhood  and  the  scenes  of  youth,  and  all  that  was  dear  and  hal- 
lowed on  earth  had  been  severed.  No  splendid  cottage  was  now 
their  home.  The  rude  cabin  was  their  shelter  and  ofttimes  they 
were  scarcely  protected  from  the  rains  of  summer  or  snows  of 
winter.  These  cabins  were  scattered  along  the  water  courses  and 
near  or  in  the  native  groves.  Each  little  settlement  was  separa- 
ted from  the  others  by  vast  intervening  prairies  sometimes  thirty 
and  forty  miles  in  width.  Having  no  regular  communication 
with  the  home  and  friends  they  had  left,  they  were  practically 
exiled  in  this  wild  wilderness  land.  From  almost  every  state  and 
across  the  sea,  immigrants  were  ever  coming  in  steady  march  to 
this  garden  spot  of  America.  The  pioneer  itinerant  preacher  fol- 
lowed hard  after  the  immigrant  train  and,  as  it  halted  for  the  night, 
broke  the  bread  of  life  to  the  newly  arrived  homeseekers.  He 
entered  their  rude  cabins  and  consecrated  them  with  prayer  and 
song  and  sermon,  and  leaving  an  appointment,  went  on  his  way 
for  new  openings.  He  returned  to  find  a  congregation  of  eager 
and  attentive  listeners  and  to  form  "a  class,"  and  make  it  a  part  of 
his  circuit.  Thus  they  "broke  ground,"  and  not  only  "broke  the 
ground,"  but  held  and  cultivated  it  in  the  name  of  the  Master. 

Under  these  conditions  of  isolation  and  loneliness  the  quar- 
terly meeting  became  an  occasion  of  great  interest.  These  meet- 
ings were  held  in  school  houses  and  private  cabins.  The  presid- 
ing elder,  never  having  more  than  twelve  circuits  in  his  district, 
was  present  at  every  quarterly  meeting  through  all  the  services. 
The  members  and  friends  at  the  appointment  where  the  meeting 


THE  IOWA  DISTRICT 


23 


was  held,  with  characteristic  pioneer  hospitalit}-,  invited  all  com- 
ers to  their  homes  and  their  tables.  A  daughter  of  Colonel  Henry 
Hardman,  of  Cedar  County,  where  quarterly  meetings  were  often 
held,  informed  the  writer  that  she  had  often  cooked  a  barrel  full 
of  doughnuts  and  other  kinds  of  food  in  proportion,  preparatory 
to  a  quarterly  meeting;  and  at  one  meeting,  by  a  careful  count, 
seventy-six  persons  outside  of  their  own  family  sat  down  at  her 
father's  table.  Usually  the  class  leaders,  stewards,  trustees,  and 
local  preachers  with  their  families,  not  having  seen  each  other  for 
three  months,  came  from  the  remote  parts  of  the  circuit  to  attend 
the  meeting,  which  was  of  social  interest  and  of  spiritual  life  and 
fire  unknown  to-day. 

The  services  usually  began  at  two  o'clock  on  Saturday  after- 
noon with  a  sermoii  by  the  presiding  elder.  As  the  congregation 
was  chiefly  the  official  members  and  their  families,  the  sermon 
was  adapted  to  the  irneeds  and  to  fit  them  for  the  coming  Sabbath. 
Immediately  after  this  service  came  the  quarterly  conference. 
Saturday  evening  the  circuit  preacher  or  some  neighboring  preach- 
er would  preach  a  sermon  full  of  unction  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Sunday  was  the  "great  day"  of  the  feast.  Many  came  on 
foot,  on  horseback  and  in  wagons  from  far  and  near.  Love  feast 
at  nine  o'clock  was  anticipated  with  great  interest.  Testimonies 
were  given  with  weeping  and  confession,  thanksgiving  and  praise, 
and  the  shouting  could  sometimes  be  heard  far  away.  Then 
followed  the  great  sermon  by  the  presiding  elder.  With  such  a 
prepared  congregation  and  his  own  soul  fired  with  love  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  it  was  not  strange  that  the  sermon  was  v.-ith  power. 
This  was  followed  by  the  holy  sacrament,  which  Avas  usually  of 
tender  and  touching  interest.  Sunday  evening  was  the  time  for 
victory  and  the  ingathering  of  souls.  No  preacher  or  exhorter 
was  allowed  to  speak  unless  he  had  ability  to  stir  the  people. 

A  sermon  to  the  unsaved  was  usually  preached,  followed  by 


24 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


an  exhortation  and  an  api)eal  to  sinners  to  yield  and  be  saved. 
The  terrors  of  tlie  law,  the  glories  of  heaven,  the  horrors  of  hell, 
the  future  judgment,  the  infinite  love  of  God,  the  dying  love  of 
Jesus  on  Calvary,  \yere  portrayed  in  tender  and  sometimes  in  ter- 
rible imagery,  and  many  were  gloriously  saved.  It  is  recorded 
of  Henry  Summers,  the  first  presiding  elder  in  Iowa,  that  "over 
one  hu!idred  conversions  have  been  known  to  follow  his  preaching 
at  a  single  quarterly  meeting." 

Henry  Summers  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1801,  converted  in 
1820,  licensed  to  preach  in  Indiana  in  1822,  entered  the  Illinois 
Conference  in  1832,  and  was  trained  under  the  distinguished  Peter 
Cartwright.  His  work  was  divided  in  1840  and  he  was  assigned 
to  the  newly  formed  Burlington  District.  In  1843  he  was  appoint- 
ed to  the  newer  Des  Moines  District.  He  returned  to  Illinois  the 
following  year  and  for  many  years  he  lived,  loved  and  honored,  in 
the  Central  Illinois  Conference.  Summers  superintended  as  pre- 
siding elder,  for  eight  years,  the  planting  of  the  church  in  Iowa. 
In  his  work  he  emulated  the  zeal,  labors,  and  triumph  of  the  fathers 
of  western  Methodism,  and  he  has  won  for  himself  an  abiding  place 
in  the  affections  of  Iowa  Methodists.  He  is  described  as  "a  man 
of  average  height,  over  the  medium  size,  and  of  strong  and  sinewy 
frame.  In  appearance  he  was  prepossessing;  in  disposition  social; 
in  intellectual  ability  good;  his  emotions  were  easily  aroused,  and 
his  pulpit  addresses  were  full  of  unction." 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1840,  the  Illinois  Conference 
was  so  divided  as  to  constitute  the  Wisconsin,  Rock  River,  and 
Illinois  Conferences.  The  Iowa  District  was  included  in  the  Rock 
River  Conference.  At  the  first  session  of  this  conference,  held 
near  Mount  Morris,  Illinois,  August  26,  1840,  Bishop  Beverly 
Waugh  presided.  The  preachers  met  in  a  little  tent,  for  the  Con- 
ference was  held  in  connection  with  a  camp  meeting  and  the  preach- 
ers were  entertained  in  tents.    They  had  no  carpets  on  the  floor. 


THE  IOWA  DISTRICT 


25 


for  they  had  no  floor  but  the  ground  was  covered  with  straw;  and 
as  fast  as  one  speaker  after  another  arose  to  speak,  the  Bishop 
would  announce:    "The  brother  has  the  straw." 

At  this  conference  the  Iowa  District  was  divided  into  the 
Dubuque  and  Burlington  Districts,  and  Henry  Summers  placed 
upon  the  Burlington  District.  The  appointments  for  northern 
Iowa  were  as  follows: 

Dubuque  District,  Bartholomew  Weed,  Presiiling  Elder. 

Rockingham,  Chester  Campbell; 

Camanche,  Barton  H.  Cartwright; 

Marion  Mission,  John  Hodges; 

Bellevue,  P.  S.  Richardson; 

Dubuque,  Washington  Wilcox: 

Clarksville,  Henry  Hubbard. 
J.  L.  Kirkpatrick  was  appointed  in  1839  to  the  Iowa  River 
Mission,  which  extended  along  the  Iowa  River  from  its  mouth 
to  the  vicinity  of  Iowa  City,  and  in  the  fall  of  1839,  he  held  the 
first  religious  services  in  Iowa  City,  the  newly  selected  capitol  of 
the  Territory.  Tlie  church  was  organized  by  Bartholomew  Weed, 
Presiding  Elder,  in  1840,  and  the  first  church  edifice  was  erected 
through  the  labors  of  George  B.  Bowman,  who  had  been  trans- 
ferred from  the  Missouri  Conference  for  that  purpose.  Of  this 
transfer  Bishop  Morris  writes :  "We  greatly  needed  an  efficient 
young  man  to  form  a  charge  in  Iowa  City,  and  to  have  a  house  of 
worship  erected  there.  I  found  such  a  one  at  the  Missouri  Con- 
ference. His  name  was  George  B.  Bowman.  In  a  personal  in- 
terview with  him  he  consented  to  be  transferred.  Subsequent- 
ly his  seniors,  presiding  elders  and  others  put  mischief  in  hLs 
head,  and  he  proposed  to  be  excused;  but  the  interests  of  the 
work  required  it,  and  I  held  him  to  the  transfer.  The  Missouri 
Conference  held  a  night  session  to  close  their  business  and  hear 
the  appointments,  when  two  leading  members  rose  up  and  re- 


26 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


monstrated  against  his  transfer  from  that  conference.  I 
waited  to  hear  their  strong  reasons,  but  none  were  offered. 
After  a  pause  of  a  few  minutes  I  demanded  to  know  by 
what  authority  the  movers  of  the  resolution  claimed  the  right 
to  interfere  with  the  appointing  prerogative.  The  only  response 
was,  'We  withdraw  the  resolution.'  Brother  Bowman  went 
to  his  new  mission,  gathered  a  large  congregation,  formed  a  society, 
erected  a  church  and  found  the  means  between  that  and  Boston  to 
pay  for  it.  In  1844  I  organized  the  Iowa  Conference  in  that  same 
church  erected  by  Brother  Bowman  in  Iowa  City." 

The  second  session  of  the  Rock  River  Conference  was  held  in 
Platteville,  Wisconsin,  August  25,  1841.  Turkey  River  Mission, 
Iowa  City  and  Davenport  Missions  were  added  this  year  to  the  list 
of  appointments  in  northern  Iowa,  which  were  announced  as  fol- 
lows : 

Dubuque  District,  Bartholomew  Weed,  Presiding  Elder. 
Iowa  City  Mission,  To  be  supplied; 
Marion  Mission,  Solomon  W.  Ingham; 
Dubuque,  Washington  Wilcox; 

Turkey  River  Mission,  Sidney  Wood  and  Barney  White; 

Bellevue,  Barton  H.  Cartwright; 

Davenport  Mission,  F.  A.  Cheneworth; 

Charlestown  Mission,  Joseph  H.  McMurtry; 

Spring  Rock  Mission,  To  be  supplied. 
The  following  extract  from  the  journal  of  S.  W.  Ingham 
illustrates  the  work  of  an  itinerant  pioneer  preacher  in  Iowa: 

"  I  was  sent  to  Marion  circuit  in  1841  and  continued  there  two 
years.  Brother  Hodges  had  been  there  six  months  of  the  preced- 
ing year  and  had  left  six  appointments.  I  increased  the  number 
to  thirty-two  in  the  first  three  months,  and  before  the  first  year 
was  out  I  had  over  forty,  with  a  travel  of  over  four  hundred  miles, 
which  I  performed  every  four  weeks  on  horse  back,  there  being 


THE  IOWA  DISTRICT 


27 


but  little  travel  where  there  was  any  road  or  track.  I  had  in- 
variably to  swim  streams  on  horseback  from  three  to  six  times 
each  round.  My  work  included  all  of  Linn  County,  and  a  part  of 
Johnson,  Cedar,  Benton,  Buchanan  and  Delaware  Counties.  I 
preached  where  Quasqueton  now  is  when  there  were  but  four  fam- 
ilies in  the  vicinity  and  no  otliers  within  sixteen  miles.  That  was 
the  extreme  frontier  there.  I  always  followed  up  the  frontier  to 
the  last  house." 

The  third  session  of  the  Rock  River  Conference  was  held  in 
Chicago,  August  24,  1842.  The  appointments  for  northern  Iowa 
were  as  follows: 

Dubuque  District,  Bartholomew  Weed,  Presiding  Elder. 

Charlestown  (Sabula)  Mission,  To  be  supplied; 

Pleasant  Valley,  To  be  supplied; 

Davenport,  David  Worthington ; 

Bloomington  (Muscatine),  To  be  supplied; 

Grandview,  J.  L.  Karkpatrick; 

Cedar  Mission,  Uriah  Ferree; 

Iowa  City,  George  B.  Bowman; 

Marion,  Solomon  W.  Ingham; 

Dubuque,  Andrew  Coleman; 

Maquoketa,  M.  H.  McMurtry,  R.  Greenly; 

Turkey  River  Mission,  Sidney  Wood. 
In  the  spring  of  1843,  the  country,  newly  purchased  of  the 
Indians  and  covering  the  southwestern  portion  of  Iowa  Territory, 
was  opened  for  settlement ;  and  thousands  who  were  waiting  for 
the  time  swept  up  the  vallej^  of  the  Des  Moines  River  and  spread 
themselves  out  over  the  region  embraced  in  the  "new  purchase." 
It  was  clearly  seen  by  the  men  who  laid  the  foundations  of  Iowa 
Methodism,  that  something  more  must  be  done  to  provide  for  the 
religious  wants  of  these  new  settlers  and  the  thousands  yet  to 
come. 


28 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


At  the  Rock  River  Conference  held  in  Dubuque,  Iowa  Ter- 
ritory, in  1843,  the  Burlington  District  was  divided  and  the  Des 
Moines  District  formed.  Bartholomew  Weed  was  assigned  to 
the  Burlington  District.  The  appointments  for  northern  Iowa 
were  as  follows: 

Dubuque  District,  Henry  W.  Reed,  Presiding  Elder. 

Dubuque,  George  B.  Bowman; 

Dubuque  Circuit,  Richard  Greenly; 

Bellevue,  John  Walker; 

Charlestown,  To  be  supplied; 

Pleasant  Valley,  Joel  B.  Taylor; 

Davenport,  David  Wortliington; 

Cedar,  S.  W.  Ingham; 

Marion,  John  Hayden,  Joseph  Maxon; 

Turkey  River,  Sidney  Wood; 

Cedar  Rapids  Mission,  Isaac  Searles. 
At  this  conference  a  resolution  was  adopted  requesting  the 
General  Conference  to  separate  and  organize  the  work  in  Iowa  in- 
to the  Iowa  Conference.  This  request  was  granted,  and  the  his- 
toric General  Conference  of  1844  ordained  that  the  "Iowa  Con- 
ference shall  include  all  of  the  Iowa  Territory." 


THE  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


29 


CPIAPTER  III. 

THE  IOWA  CONFERENCE 

We  now  come  to  a  most  interesting  event  in  our  history,  the 
organization  of  the  Iowa  Conference.  This  took  place  at  Iowa 
City,  August  14,  1844,  Bishop  Thomas  A.  Morris  presiding.  It 
was  fitting  that  the  organizing  hand  of  Bishop  Morris  that  had 
formed  the  first  Iowa  District  in  1839,  should  now,  five  years  later, 
give  shape  and  form  to  the  Iowa  Conference.  Henry  W.  Reed 
was  elected  secretary. 

The  statistics  showed  a  total  membership  of  five  thousand 
four  hundred  and  thirty-one  white  and  twelve  colored  members, 
and  the  appointments  or  circuits  twenty-nine  in  number,  with 
thirty-six  effective  preachers  including  probationers.  These  were 
arranged  into  three  districts  as  follows : 

Dubuque  District,  H.  W.  Reed,  Presiding  Elder. 
Dubuque,  G.  B.  Bowman; 

Dubuque  Circuit  and  Delaware  Mission,  Joel  B.  Tay- 
lor and  W.  W.  Knight; 
Bellevue,  E.  Howard,  one  to  be  supplied; 
Charlestown  Mission,  (Sabula),  John  Walker; 
Cedar,  S.  W.  Ingham; 
Marion,  John  Hayden,  R.  H.  Harrison; 
Cedar  Rapids  Mission,  D.  P.  Nichols; 
Iowa  City,  David  Worthington; 
Iowa  Circuit,  L.  McVey; 
Turkey  River,  C.  D.  Farnsworth. 
Burlington  District,  B.  Weed,  Presiding  Elder. 
Burlington,  Andrew  Coleman; 
New  London,  Uriah  Ferree; 
Mount  Pleasant,  Wm.  Simpson; 


30 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Crawfordsville  and  English  River,  M.  Reeder  and 

M.  S.  Roberts; 
Yellow  Springs,  J.  L.  Kirkpatrick; 
Bloomington  (now  Muscatine),  E.  S.  Norris; 
Pleasant  Valley,  S.  Wood  and  J.  W.  Maxon; 
Davenport,  J.  T.  Lewis ; 
Grand  view,  Laban  Case; 
Clear  Creek  Mission,  Wm.  Hurlbiirt. 

Des  Moines  District,  Milton  Jamison,  Presiding  Elder. 
Farmington,  J.  B.  Hardy; 
Pittsburg,  S.  Clark; 

Bloomfield  Mission,  J.  L.  Bennett  and  J.  F.  New; 

Eddyville  Mission,  A.  W.  Johnson; 

Des  Moines  Mission   (including  Ottumwa),  T.  M, 

Kirkpatrick ; 
Fairfield,  Hugh  Gibson; 
Birmingham,  Robert  Rice; 
Fort  Madison,  1. 1.  Stewart; 
West  Point,  Moses  F.  Shinn. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  charges  of  Dubuque  District 
with  Davenport  and  Pleasant  Valley  added,  were  within  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference;  and  that  all  the  other 
charges  of  the  Burlington  and  Des  Moines  Districts  were  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  Iowa  Territory. 

Bartholomew  Weed  was  for  some  time  presiding  elder  of  the 
Galena  District,  Illinois,  which  included  the  work  in  Iowa  north  of 
the  Iowa  River.  When  the  Iowa  District  was  divided  in  1840, 
Weed  became  presiding  elder  of  Dubuque  District  which  he  trav- 
eled for  three  years.  He  then,  in  1843,  became  presiding  elder  of 
Burlington  District,  over  which  he  presided  four  years.  He  was 
born  in  Danbury,  Connecticut,  March  6,  1793,  joined  the  Metho- 


THE  IOWA  conferp:n'ce 


3' 


dists  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age,  and  was  received  into  the 
Philadelphia  Conference  in  1817.  While  a  member  of  the  Rock 
River  Conference  and  presiding  elder  of  Burlington  District,  he 
was  elected  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  1844.  "He  was 
a  man  of  simple  tastes  and  manners,  of  strong  convictions  and  at- 
tachments, and  of  heroic  and  magnanimous  spirit, "  a  wise  master- 
builder  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  made  a  deep  impression 
on  the  Methodism  of  the  west.    He  died  in  Newark,  X.  J.,  in  1879. 

The  aim  of  the  Conference  was  to  carry  the  gospel  to  every 
newly  formed  frontier  settlement,  however  remote,  and  thus  to 
establish  Methodism  in  the  forefront  of  advancing  civilization. 
For  this  purpose  they  crossed  vast  intervening  prairies  without  a 
road,  a  tree,  or  an  inhabitant. 

Landon  Taylor,  who  joined  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1845, 
relates  this  incident: 

"In  the  latter  part  of  August,  hearing  of  a  newly  arrived 
colony  about  thirty  miles  distant,  Brother  Jay  and  myself,  with 
horses  and  saddle-bags,  started  for  the  new  settlement.  There  be- 
ing no  traveled  road,  we  struck  out  into  the  open  prairie  in  the 
direction  of  our  destined  place.  It  was  a  long  and  tedious  ride, 
but  toward  evening  w-e  arrived  at  Brother  Rodman's,  our  stopping 
place,  tired  and  hungrj\  Sister  Rodman  welcomed  us  to  their 
cabin  home  with  all  the  warmth  of  a  pioneer.  'But,'  she  said, 
'as  glad  as  I  am  to  see  you,  we  have  not  a  mouthful  of  anything 
to  eat  in  the  house.  My  husband  has  gone  to  mill  twenty-five 
miles  distant  and  will  not  return  until  tomorrow. '  Rather 
hard  fare  I  thought,  having  fasted  all  day;  but  not  ili-couraged 
I  said:  'Sister  Rodman,  you  have  corn  in  the  field?'  She  replied, 
'Yes.'  'And  an  old  milk  pan  tliat  I  can  obtain?'  'Yes,  one 
out  yonder  in  the  yard.'  'And  cows  nearby?'  'Yes.'  'Well, 
now  for  business.  Brother  Jay,  you  go  and  bring  the  corn.  Sister 
Rodman,  send  your  boy  after  the  cows,  and  hang  on  the  kettle 


32 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


and  boil  the  water,  and  we  will  have  a  feast  of  fat  things  after  all.'  " 
"  Having  secured  a  hammer  and  nail  I  went  to  work  and  made 
a  mill  (grater)  of  the  old  pan  and  when  the  corn  came  the  mill 
was  ready  for  grinding.  Within  a  few  minutes  we  had  four  or 
five  quarts  of  as  nice  meal  as  we  ever  saw.  The  pudding  was  soon 
made,  the  table  set  and  milk  ready.  But  now  there  was  another 
difficulty.  Said  the  good  sister,  'We  have  but  one  bowl  and  one 
spoon,  having  broken  our  dishes  moving  to  Iowa. '  'Never  mind,' 
said  I, 'we  can  manage  that.'  So,  being  the  preacher  in  charge,  I 
ate  at  the  first  table.  Afterwards  Brother  Jay  and  then  the  whole 
family  ate,  for  there  was  an  abundance  for  all.  And  now  the 
neighbors  were  called  in  for  .service.  My  text  was,  'The  Lord  is 
my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want. '  We  had  an  old  fashioned  Metho- 
dist meeting,  for  our  success  in  the  unseen  was  equal  to  that'of  the 
visible  and  temporal.  The  next  morning  when  all  was  in  readi- 
ness, we  started  for  home,  exulting  like  St.  Paul:  'Poor,  yet  mak- 
ing many  rich;  having  nothing  yet  possessing  all  things.'  You 
may  call  these  hardships,  but  permit  me  to  say,  these  are  the  rich 
spots  in  the  history  of  my  life  that  ease  and  luxury  could  not  pur- 
chase, and  gold  co\ild  not  buy,  and  I  doubt  not,  in  the  rewards  of 
the  better  land,  the  Master  will  crown  these  with  the  highest 
honor. " 

R.  G.  Hawn  thus  writes:  "In  1850  I  was  appointed  assistant 
preacher  on  the  Marion  Circuit,  and  was  assigned  to  that  part 
now  known  as  Center  Point  charge.  There  were  five  appoint- 
ments and  fifteen  members.  A  series  of  meetings  was  held  in  a 
school  house  which  doubled  the  membership  of  the  charge.  Great 
opposition  was  encountered  from  the  Campbellites,  led  by  their 
pastor.  Among  others  who  bowed  at  the  rude  altar  pleading  for 
mercy  were  the  daughters  of  a  Campbellite  elder.  He  was  greatly 
enraged  and  threatened  to  take  tliem  away.  As  he  was  forcing 
his  way  through  the  crowd  to  carry  out  his  purpose,  a  neighbor 


THE  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


33 


laid  his  hand  on  liis  shoulder  and  with  a  big  oath  he  said : '  You  will 
do  no  such  thing.  If  you  don't  shut  up  and  behave  yourself  I'll 
smash  j'^our  mouth, 'and  immediately  squared  himself  to  put  his 
threat  into  execution.  Both  were  tall  and  well  built  men,  and  it 
seemed  for  a  time  that  there  would  be  a  big  fight.  The  emphatic 
language  and  determined  attitude  of  the  preacher's  cb.ampion 
prevailed,  the  father  subsided  and  the  girls  were  not  molested, 
but  were  not  permitted  to  come  to  the  meetings  again. 
Finances  were  low.  One  calico  dress  for  my  wife,  six  or 
eight  bushels  of  corn  for  my  horse,  and  about  two  dollars  and  a 
half  in  money  were  the  aggregate  of  my  receipts  for  the  year. 
But  we  were  young  and  hopeful,  and  lived  in  the  affections  of  the 
people,  and  sowed  seed,  the  fruitage  of  which  will  be  gathered  in 
eternity. " 

James  F.  Hestwood  writes  as  follows:  "In  1854  I  was  re- 
ceived on  trial  in  the  Iowa  Conference  and  sent  to  Millersburg, 
which  took  part  of  Johnson,  Iowa,  Keokuk  and  Washington 
Counties.  With  the  help  of  a  few  friends,  I  built  a  log  cabin  in 
which  to  live.  In  1855  I  was  sent  to  Story  Mission,  a  move  of 
eighty  miles.  This  charge  as  I  traveled  it  was  fifty-three  miles 
north  and  south  and  over  thirty  miles  east  and  west,  and  I  cannot 
remember  that  there  was  a  bridge  over  any  stream,  and  many 
points  to  which  I  went  I  had  no  road  but  an  Indian  trail.  There 
was  no  house  for  my  use  and  I  waited  for  the  fulfillment  of  good 
promises  until  I  got  warm,  then  by  permission  went  into  the  tim- 
ber and  built  a  log  cabin  sixteen  feet  square.  During  the  year  I 
was  at  home  only  two  nights  and  one  day  each  week.  I 
was  returned  for  the  second  year  and  lived  in  the  town  of 
Nevada.  The  room  in  which  we  lived  that  winter  was  ten  feet 
wide  and  sixteen  in  length.  In  1857  I  was  sent  to  Boonesborough, 
where  I  spent  two  years  which  were  years  of  revival  power,  there 
being  something  over  three  hundred  gathered  into  the  church. " 


34 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Elias  Skinner  gives  some  of  his  early  experiences  in  the  itin- 
erancy as  follows: 

"When  I  received  my  first  appointment  in  1851,  our  little 
daughter  was  less  than  four  weeks  old.  I  hired  a  team  of  two 
horses  and  wagon  to  take  our  household  goods  across  the  country 
a  distance  of  125  miles.  Mrs.  Skinner,  with  our  child  in  her 
arms,  rode  upon  the  wagon  and  I  upon  horseback  *  *  *  *  x 
found  true  friends  whose  names  are  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  annals 
of  Methodism  of  any  age  or  country  *  *  *  *  The  year  wound  to 
a  close,  and  in  the  financial  balancing  of  accounts,  it  appeared 
that  my  receipts  amounted  to  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  *  *  *  *  j  j^ad  to  drive  over  two  hundred  miles  to  reach 
the  seat  of  conference.  My  second  appointment  was  a  new  field 
requiring  us  to  move  ninety  miles  by  wagon.  No  railroads  in 
Iowa  then.  Two  small  rooms  in  the  rear  of  a  store  served  as  a 
home  for  us  during  the  year.  This  circuit  had  six  regular  preach- 
ing places  and  occasionally  I  preached  in  a  few  other  places.  That 
year  we  held  a  camp  meeting  and  some  twenty  were  converted  and 
received  into  the  church.  My  quarterage  receipts  for  that  year 
were  two  hundred  and  thirteen  dollars.  " 

Richard  Swearingen  thus  writes:  "I  was  received  into  the 
Iowa  Conference  in  1846.  My  first  charge  was  Canton  in  Jackson 
County  and  extended  up  the  Maquoketa  and  Turkey  Rivers  as  far 
as  civilization  extended.  I  received  $66.00  for  my  services  that 
year.  The  second  year  I  travelled  the  Wapsipinicon  Mission  and 
went  up  to  Pine  Creek  near  to  Independence.  Independence  was 
not  large  enough  for  an  appointment  at  that  time,  and  yet  we  made 
appointments  out  of  very  small  things  in  those  days.  The  third 
year,  living  four  miles  from  Iowa  City,  I  traveled  up  the  Iowa 
River  as  far  as  civilization  extended,  organizing  the  first  class  at 
Janesville.  My  first  charge  had  twenty-eight  appointments, 
one  every  day  in  the  week.  " 


The  IOWA  CONFERHNCE 


35 


The  growth  and  extension  of  Methodism  in  this  new  country- 
is  graphically  shown  in  the  following  incidents. 

Nelson  Rathburn,  a  local  preacher,  preached  in  1839  at  Linn 
Grove,  a  few  miles  north  of  where  Mount  Vernon  now  stands. 
This  is  believed  to  be  the  first  sermon  delivered  in  Linn  County. 

In  1840  John  Hodges  was  sent  to  Marion  Mission  which  in- 
cluded all  of  Linn  County,  all  of  Jones  County  south  of  the  Wapsi- 
pinicon  River  and  the  region  round  about.  He  was  succeeded  in  1 841 
by  S.  W.  Ingham,  previously  mentioned,  who  organized  the  first 
class  in  Cedar  Rapids  in  the  home  of  Mr.  John  Listebarger.  The 
Cedar  Rapids  Mission  was  formed  in  1843  with  Isaac  Searles 
preacher  in  charge. 

In  1846  Allen  W.  Johnson  was  sent  to  this  mission.  He 
writes:  "The  population  having  now  extended  quite  a  distance 
up  both  the  Iowa  and  Cedar  Rivers,  arrangements  were  made  to 
embrace  those  settlements  in  the  Cedar  Rapids  Mission,  and  about 
the  last  of  October  I  went  up  to  the  falls  of  the  Cedar  River  and 
preached  the  first  sermon  in  Blackhawk  County,  and  also  estab- 
lished a  preaching  place  in  Benton  County  on  the  river  near  the 
county  seat.  During  the  winter  and  spring  many  were  converted 
and  added  to  the  church,  and  classes  were  formed  in  Benton 
County  and  where  Cedar  Falls  now  stands." 

The  first  class  in  Vinton  was  formed  in  1853  by  H.  J.  Bur- 
leigh. Other  settlements  were  being  formed  up  the  Cedar  River 
and  its  tributaries. 

It  is  claimed  that  Richard  Swearingen  preached  the  first  ser- 
mon in  Janesville  in  1850.  The  first  quarterly  conference  in  Janes- 
ville  w'as  held  in  December,  1852,  Alcinous  Young,  Presiding  Elder, 
and  S.  W.  Ingham,  preacher  in  charge. 

In  1853  S.  W.  Ingham  visited  and  preached  in  the  vicinity  of 
Floyd.  The  following  year,  W.  P.  Holbrook  came  from  Clarks- 
ville  and  organized  the  first  class  in  Floyd. 


36 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


S.  W.  Ingham  first  introduced  Methodism  into  Mitchell 
County  in  1853. 

In  Osage  the  first  class  was  formed  in  1856,  and  W.  P.  Hol- 
brook  was  the  first  preacher  in  charge. 

S.  W.  Ingham  preached  the  first  sermon  in  Waverly  in  1854. 
In  1843  a  class  was  formed  in  the  Upper  Cedar  Valley,  "supposed 
to  be  somewhere  between  Waterloo  and  Cedar  Falls.  "  Probably 
this  class  was  organized  by  S.  W.  Ingham.  A.  Collins  formed  a 
class  near  Waterloo  in  1851. 

The  same  year,  Joel  B.  Taylor  preached  the  first  sermon  in 
Epworth  and  organized  a  class. 

A  circuit  was  organized  embracing  Tama  County  in  1853  by 
David  H.  Peterfish  and  one  of  his  appointments  was  near  the 
place  where  Toledo  was  afterwards  located.  A  class  was  organ- 
ized in  Toledo  in  1855. 

The  first  sermon  in  the  vicinity  of  Fayette  was  preached  in 
1850,  in  the  house  of  James  E.  Robertson,  by  John  Hindman, 
preacher  in  charge  of  Otter  Creek  Mission.  At  the  same  time  he 
organized  a  class  with  J.  E.  Robertson,  leader,  who  continued  a 
class  leader  for  over  fifty  years. 

Harvey  Taylor  preached  the  first  sermon  in  Independence  in 
1850,  and  organized  a  class. 

In  Manchester,  Simeon  Alger  began  preaching  in  1855  in  the 
house  of  D.  K.  Fox.  In  1856  F.  X.  Miller  was  appointed  preacher 
in  charge. 

S.  W.  Ingham  thus  writes:  "In  the  spring  of  1852,  I  re- 
moved into  Bremer  County  and  in  the  fall  I  was  employed  on  Big 
Woods  Mission.  There  were  five  appointments  on  the  Mission; 
one  at  Cedar  Falls,  one  where  the  depot  in  Waterloo  now  stands, 
one  where  Janesville  stands,  one  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  big 
woods  and  one  about  a  mile  from  the  present  site  of  Waverly. 


THE  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


37 


Within  six  inouths  I  increased  the  number  of  appointments  to 
over  thirty  and  to  forty-two  before  the  close  of  the  year.  My  work 
took  Vinton  and  Buckingham  (near  Traer)  on  the  south,  (being 
the  first  preaching  that  either  of  them  ever  had),  and  extended 
north  to  the  Minnesota  line,  on  all  the  waters  of  the  Cedar  River, 
and  extending  westward  to  Clear  Lake. " 

The  Marshalltown  Mission  was  organized  in  1852  by  Solomon 
Dunton,  a  local  preacher  appointed  by  Alcinous  Young  of  Iowa 
City  District.  This  Mission  included  Marshalltown,  Albion,  Mari- 
etta, Le  Grand,  and  Indiantown  and  other  settlements. 

The  first  sermon  was  preached  and  the  first  class  formed  in 
Iowa  Falls  in  1856,  by  Ethan  C.  Crippen,  a  local  preacher,  who 
was  a  noble  man  and  very  efficient  in  service.    He  died  in  1865. 

Tradition  says  that  the  first  public  religious  service  was  held 
in  Lansing  in  the  winter  of  1848-49.  In  1851  Lansing  was  in- 
cluded in  the  Yellow  River  Mission  and  Alfred  Bishop  was  appoint- 
ed preacher  in  charge.  He  remained  two  years.  In  1n.52  it  was 
called  Lansing  Mission.  It  had  nine  appointments  and  othc-ro  \'.  cre 
soon  added  until  there  were  thirty-three,  including  Monona,  Post- 
ville,  Freeport,  Burr  Oak,  Waukon  and  Decorah,  and  "all 
northeastern  Iowa. "  It  required  three  hundred  miles  of  travel 
and  three  weeks  of  time  to  go  around  the  circuit.  The  preacher 
was  permitted  to  be  at  home  but  two  nights  in  the  three  weeks. 
Services  were  held  in  private  houses,  over  store  buildings,  and  in 
school  houses  wherever  they  were  built. 

In  1852  the  first  sermon  was  preached  in  McGregor  by  Elisha 
Warner,  a  local  preacher  of  Prairie  Du  Chein.  J.  L.  Kelly  became 
pastor  at  McGregor  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year. 

Bishop  H.  W.  Lee,  an  early  Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of 
Iowa,  relates  this  experience  which  illustrates  the  activity  of  the 
early  itinerants: 

"I  had  long  wanted  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  some  far  remote 


38 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


settlement  where  none  had  preached  before.  I  supposed  there 
were  many  such  places  in  my  diocese.  One  day  with  a  friend  I 
started  from  Cedar  Rapids  in  a  buggy  across  the  state  for  Sioux 
City.  On  the  second  day  toward  evening  we  stopped  at  a  farm 
house  and  asked  for  entertainment  for  the  night,  which  was  grant- 
ed. After  going  into  the  house,  I  said  to  the  host,  'My  friend, 
I  am  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  if  agreeable  to  you,  I  would 
like  to  preach  in  your  house  this  evening.  If  you  will  call  in  your 
neighbors,  we  will  have  a  little  service. ' 

" ' All  right, '  said  the  man,  'we  will  be  glad  to  have  you  preach 
for  us. ' 

"'By  the  way,'  said  the  good  Bishop,  'I  suppose  you  never 
had  preaching  in  this  place,  so  far  distant  from  settlements. ' 

'"Oh!  yes,'  said  the  man,  'my  house  is  a  regular  preaching 
place  for  the  itinerant  Methodists.  They  preach  and  hold  class  here 
every  three  weeks." 

And  the  Bishop  said,  "I  give  it  up.  These  Methodists  are 
everywhere. " 

At  the  organization  of  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1844,  the  whole 
Iowa  Territory  had  a  population  of  75,152;  only  twenty-one 
counties  were  organized  and  these  were  in  the  eastern  and  south- 
eastern part  of  the  Territory.  Five-sixths  of  the  Territory  in  the 
north  and  west  was  a  boundless  expanse  of  grove  and  prairie, 
still  uninhabited  by  the  white  man.  During  the  twelve  years  that 
followed,  immigrants  came  in  large  numbers;  they  came  from 
every  state  in  the  east  and  south  and  from  across  the  sea.  They 
came  singly  and  in  companies,  many  in  wagons  drawn  by  horses 
or  oxen,  camping  by  the  road-side  at  night  and  journeying  by  day. 
Many  came  in  boats  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi  River, 
landing  at  the  towns  along  the  river  and  spreading  out  over  the 
state  along  its  streams  and  near  its  groves,  and  in  1856  the  popu- 
ation  of  the  state  had  become  517,875.    Over  seventy  counties  of 


THE   IOWA  CONFERENCE 


39 


the  state  were  organized  and  settlements  extended  along  the  whole 
southern  border  to  the  Missouri  River,  leaving  the  northwest  one- 
fourth  of  the  state  still  unsettled.  The  membership  of  the  Con- 
ference during  the  years  1844  to  1855  increased  from  thirty-six 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty;  the  church  membership  increased  from 
5,431  to  22,690;  presiding  elders'  districts  increased  from  three  to 
thirteen;  and  circuits  and  pastoral  charges  from  twenty-nine  to 
one  hundred  and  forty-two.  As  the  Conference  extended  over 
three-fourths  of  the  state,  and  the  only  mode  of  travel  was  by 
private  conveyance,  the  work  was  too  unwieldy  for  effective  ser- 
vice, and  a  division  imperatively  needed. 

Accordingly,  at  the  session  of  the  Iowa  Conference  held  in 
Keokuk  in  1855,  a  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted  asking 
the  General  Conference  to  divide  the  Iowa  Conference  on  a  line 
beginning  at  Davenport,  thence  along  the  railroad  to  Iowa  City, 
thence  up  the  Iowa  River  to  the  south  line  of  Benton  and  Marshall 
counties,  thence  due  west  to  the  Missouri  river,  leaving  Davenport 
and  Iowa  City  in  the  north  conference.  The  General  Conference 
at  its  session  in  May,  1856,  granted  this  request  and  formed  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference. 


40 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  FIRST  YEAR  OF  THE  UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 

Tlie  first  session  of  tlie  Upper  Iowa  Conference  was  held  in 
Maquoketa,  Iowa,  August  27  to  September  1,  1856,  Bishop  Ed- 
mund S.  Janes  presiding.  Landon  Taylor  was  elected  secretary 
with  Elias  Skinner  as  assistant.  The  present  south  boundary  line 
of  the  conference  extended  due  west  from  the  south  line  of  Mar- 
shall County  to  the  Missouri  River,  thus  giving  to  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference  about  four-sevenths  of  the  state.  It  also  included  ter- 
ritory west  of  the  Missouri  River  as  far  as  white  settlements  ex- 
tended. The  western  one-half  of  the  conference  territory  was  prac- 
tically an  unsettled  wilderness.  There  were  two  German  districts 
within  the  Conference,  but  their  work  was  mostly  in  Wisconsin 
and  Minnesota  and  in  a  few  years  they  were  separated  and  united 
into  a  German  Conference.  They  are  therefore  omitted  in  this 
history. 

While  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  had  the  larger  territory, 
the  Iowa  Conference  had  the  greater  membership.  In  the  Iowa 
Conference  were  18,715  members  and  109  traveling  preachers; 
while  in  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  there  were  of  English  speak- 
ing members  8,320,  and  58  traveling  preachers — of  these,  twenty- 
two  were  on  probation.  At  this  first  session  of  the  Conference, 
nine  were  received  into  full  connection  and  twelve  were  received 
on  trial.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  appointments: 
Davenport  District,  J.  C.  Ayers,  Presiding  Elder. 

Davenport,  First  Church,  R.  W.  Keeler; 

Wesley  Chapel,  To  be  supplied ; 

Mineral  Creek,  F.  Amos; 

LeClaire,  To  be  supplied; 

Pleasant  Valley,  W.  R.  Blake; 


FIRST  APPOINTMENTS 


41 


Spring  Rock,  J.  H.  Stephenson; 

Camanche,  C.  B.  Lawton; 

Lyons,  J.  B.  Taylor; 

DeWitt,  J.  R.  Baker; 

Sabula,  A.  N.  OdeU; 

Maquoketa,  J.  G.  Dimmitt; 

Maquoketa  Circuit,  J.  RidcUington,  T.  Moore. 

Dubuque  District,  H.  W.  Reed,  Presiding  Elder. 
Dubuque,  Main  Street,  Philo  E.  Brown; 
Dubuque  Centenary,  To  be  supplied; 
Rockdale,  D.  N.  Holmes; 

Dubuque  Circuit,  J.  R.  Cameron,  T.  Thompson; 

Dyersville,  To  be  supplied; 

Andrew,  C.  Babcock; 

Belle vue,  To  be  supplied; 

Cascade,  L.  S.  Ashbaugh; 

Delhi,  Isaac  Ne-n-ton; 

Colesburg,  Harvey  Taylor; 

Anamosa,  Wm.  Young. 

Upper  Iowa  District,  H.  S.  Bronson,  Presiding  Elder. 
Fayette,  To  be  supplied; 
West  Union,  George  Clifford; 
Eldorado,  F.  Mather; 
Elkader,  To  be  supplied; 
Garnavillo,  John  Webb; 
Hardin,  To  be  supplied; 
Waukon,  To  be  supplied; 
Freeport  and  Decorah,  George  Larkins; 
Greeley's  Grove,  J.  A.  Stoddard; 
Burr  Oak,  To  be  supplied; 
Delaware,  To  be  supplied; 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Elkport,  To  be  supplied; 

E.  C.  Byam,  Agent  of  Fayette  Seminary,  and 
member  of  Fayette  Quarterly  Conference. 

Iowa  City  District,  Andrew  Coleman,  Presiding  Elder. 

Iowa  Cit}'  Station,  A.  J.  Kynett; 
Iowa  City  Circuit,  Wm.  N.  Brown; 
"West  Liberty,  S.  K.  Young; 
Cedar  Rapids  Mission,  J.  Montgomery; 
Marion,  J.  Watts; 

Cedar  Rai>i(ls  Station,  J.  P.  Linderman; 

Tipto!!.  Rul'uri  Ricker; 

?,I<)Ui:t  \'oriion,  A.  B.  Kendig; 

lie! Toll,  To  be  supplied; 

Cellar,  To  be  supplied; 

Pioneer,  To  be  supplied; 

Springville,  A.  Critchfield; 

Iowa  Conference  Seminary,  Samuel  M.  Fellows,  Prin- 
cipal,  G.  B.  Bowman  and  E.  Skinner,  Agents, 
Stephen  N.  Fellows  and  B.  Wilson  Smith,  Professors, 
— all  members  of  Mount  Vernon  Quarterly  Conference. 

Marshall  District,  J.  M.  Rankin,  Presiding  Elder. 
Vinton,  B.  F.  Taylor; 
Iowa  River,  D.  Donaldson; 
Toledo,  To  be  supplied; 
Marshall,  A.  T.  Shinn; 
Nevada,  J.  F.  Hestwfiod; 
Boone,  J.  W.  Stewart ; 
Green,  Joseph  Cadwalader; 
Webster,  To  be  supplied; 
Eldora,  B.  Holcomb; 
Marysville,  Watson  Bell. 


THE  ORIGINAL  MEMBERS 


43 


Janesville  District,  James  T.  Coleman,  Presiding  Elder. 
Janesville,  E.  D.  Lamb; 
Cedar  Falls,  Simeon  Alger; 
Waterloo,  J.  G.  Witted; 
Waterloo  Circuit,  To  be  supplied; 
Waverly,  C.  M.  Sessions; 
Bradford,  To  be  supplied; 
St.  Charles,  W.  P.  Holbrook; 
Cerro  Gordo,  C.  M.  Webster; 
Claries ville,  Richard  Swearingen; 
Franklin,  H.  J.  Burle)^; 
Independence,  J.  L.  Kelley; 
Quasqueton,  To  be  supplied. 

Sioux  City  District,  Landon  Taylor,  Presiding  Elder. 

Sioux  City  and  Sargeant's  Bluff,  Landon  Taylor; 
Smithlantl,  Ashland  and  Belvidere,  D.  J.  Havens; 
Sac,  Carroll  and  Cra^\•ford,  Wni.  Black. 

The  division  of  the  Iowa  Conference  was  anticipated  and 
planned  for.  Henry  W.  Reed  and  Andrew  Coleman  were  presid- 
ing elders  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Conference  and  sought  to 
have  men  in  these  districts  who  were  adapted  to  this  newer,  colder, 
and  less  developed  territory.  And  so  naturally  most  of  the  older 
preachers  were  gathered  into  the  southern  part  of  the  Conference 
where  the  climate  was  milder,  the  support  more  generous,  and 
comforts  greater;  and  more  of  the  younger  men  in  the  prime  and 
vigor  of  life  were  placed  in  the  northern  districts.  So  when  the 
Conference  was  divided,  this  body  of  picked  men  became  the 
"original  members"  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference. 

They  were  a  band  of  organized  evangelists.  From  the  days  of 
Wesley  the  spirit  of  soul  saving  has  been  central  to  the  life  of 
Methodism.    This  has  been  the  special  and  divine  vocation  of 


44 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


the  Methodist  preacher.  To  be  a  Methodist  was  to  be  an  evan- 
gelist. If  any  minister  of  a  sister  church  preached  an  earnest 
evangelistic  sermon,  it  was  said  of  him,  "He  preached  just  like  a 
Methodist."  The  Methodist  preacher  had  a  conviction,  an  ex- 
perience and  a  "divine  call."  He  had  a  conviction  that  God  is 
just  and  merciful,  that  man  is  a  sinner  under  condemnation  of  a 
just  God,  that  Jesus  Christ  by  his  sacrificial  death  made  pro- 
visional atonement  for  all  men,  and  that  all  may  be  saved  who 
repent  of  their  sins  and  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  had 
a  definite,  personal  experience  of  this  salvation  through  faith  in 
Christ,  and  a  direct  "witness  of  the  Spirit"  that  he  himself  was 
a  child  of  God.  Added  to  this  was  a  "divine  call"  to  go  and  preach 
to  lost  men  this  blessed  Gospel  of  salvation.  He  had  a  message 
and  he  felt  with  the  Apostle,  "Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the 
Gospel."  Thus  the  Methodist  preacher  had  but  one  thing  to  do, 
to  save  lost  souls.  To  this  work  he  gave  all  his  energies.  In 
this  work  he  had  a  consuming  zeal.  For  this  work  he  was  bap- 
tized of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Hence  the  Methodist  itinerancy,  which 
was  only  an  organized  form  of  evangelism.  A  conference  was  an 
organized  band  of  evangelists,  each  with  an  assigned  field  of 
labor  called  a  circuit,  superintended  by  a  district  evangelist  called 
a  presiding  elder.  They  were  pre-eminently  preachers,  not  pastors. 
Indeed  for  more  than  a  century  of  American  Methodism,  the  word 
pastor  was  not  known  in  the  Methodist  vocabulary.  This  word, 
pastor,  was  first  authorized  in  the  Discipline  of  1892.  The  reason 
is  obvious.  Church  machinery  was  simple,  few  organizations 
within  the  church  existed;  pastoral  visiting,  care  of  societies, 
raising  of  benevolences,  answering  a  thousand  calls  that  now 
burden  the  pastor  and  the  preparation  of  many  sermons,  were  un- 
known in  the  early  days  of  Methodism.  These  itinerant  preachers, 
though  without  scholastic  training,  were  well  qualified  for  the 
work  to  which  they  were  called.    They  knew  how  to  preach  Christ, 


THE  ORIGINAL  MEMBERS 


45 


the  Savior  of  men;  they  comprehended  the  great  subject  of  their 
message.  No  class  of  men  were  better  students  of  the  plain  mean- 
ing of  the  Bible,  or  had  greater  ability  in  applying  its  truths  to 
the  needs  of  men.  They  did  not  profess  to  have  a  knowledge  of 
many  books ;  they  were  men  of  one  hook.  Mingling  freely  with  all 
classes  of  people,  they  became  well  versed  in  human  nature,  were 
quick  in  repartee,  fviU  of  anecdote  and  story  of  thrilling  adventure, 
and  ready  for  any  emergency.  They  had  tact,  they  could  utilize 
strange  environments,  they  knew  the  people  in  pioneer  conditions 
and  privations,  they  had  sympathy  with  them  and  they  could 
see  things  as  the  people  saw  them.  They  had  a  passion  for  souls 
and  a  supreme  loyalty  to  God  and  the  Church.  The  "esprit  de 
corps"  of  the  Conference  was  intense.  The  Conference  was  em- 
phaticall}^  a  brotherhood.  Self-seeking  was  unknown  and  obe- 
dience to  church  authority  was  well  nigh  absolute  and  unquestion- 
ing. Appointments  from  the  bishop  were  received  as  from  God. 
It  is  not  known  that  any  young  man  ever  asked  for  promotion 
or  for  a  better  appointment,  but  had  one  done  so  he  would  have 
been  regarded  as  unworthy  of  any  place  in  the  Conference.  Of- 
ten they  did  ask  for  hard  places,  and  no  place  could  be  found  so 
remote,  so  wild  and  desolate,  requiring  so  much  hardship  and  sac- 
rifice, but  that  some  one  or  more  would  volunteer  for  the  service. 
There  was  no  grading  of  preachers  or  charges  by  the  salaries 
paid.  They  sought  for  stars  in  their  heavenly  crown,  and  not  for 
large  salaries  and  earthly  honors.  There  was  no  distinction  be- 
tween country  and  city  appointments.  Preachers  were  sent  from 
the  city  station  to  the  circuit,  and  from  the  circuit  to  the  city, 
and  there  was  no  humiliation  in  the  one  case  or  promotion  in 
the  other.  Indeed  the  man  most  in  honor  among  his  brethren 
was  the  one  who  traveled  the  hardest  circuit. 

The  men  who  were  the  leaders  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Confer- 
ence in  its  formative  period  were  trained  in  the  school  of  the  itiner- 


46 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


ant  evangelist.  Andrew  Coleman  hael  l)een  tiiirty  years  a  pio- 
neer in  the  Pittsburg  and  Iowa  Conferences;  H.  W.  Reed,  twentj-- 
three  years  a  pioneer  preacher  in  Wisconsin  and  Iowa;  and  J.  C. 
Ayres,  for  twenty-eight  years  a  pioneer  in  the  Pittsburg  and  Ohio 
Conferences.  To  these  may  be  added  Alcinous  Young,  J.  G. 
Dimmitt,  Landon  Taylor,  Joel  B.  Taylor,  and  others,  who  were 
filled  with  the  spirit  and  faith  of  Asbury,  his  co-laborers  and  his 
immediate  successors,  by  whom  they  had  been  trained  and  v.ith 
whom  they  had  lived  and  labored.  Under  the  leadership  of  these 
men  and  their  associates,  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  was  an 
earnest  evangelistic  conference.  Revivals  were  frequent  and 
conversions  were  numerous.  At  the  first  session  of  the  Confer- 
ence in  1856,  James  T.  Coleman  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of 
Janesville,  now  Cedar  Falls  District.  The  following  is  an  account 
of  his  first  year  as  written  by  himself: 

"It  was  nearly  one  hundred  miles  from  Marion,  where  I  had 
been  stationed,  to  the  nearest  point  on  my  district.  On  the  last 
day  of  November  we  reached  a  friend's  house,  two  miles  from 
Waterloo,  one  of  my  appointments.  Here  we  were  entertained 
in  a  small  cabin,  with  the  floor  wet  all  the  time  from  melting  snow, 
which  blew  through  a  clapboard  roof.  At  the  end  of  the  time 
the  snow  was  three  feet  deep  on  the  level,  and  six  feet  on  the 
low  places.  We  extemporized  a  sleigh,  tied  the  carriage  to  it, 
and  started.  One  hundred  yards  from  the  house  we  got  into  a 
drift,  and  had  to  struggle  back  with  the  children,  and  wait  for 
repairs  on  the  sleigh.  We  were  then  a  full  day  in  reaching  Cedar 
Falls  only  eleven  miles  away.  After  a  few  days  the  roads  be- 
came broken  down  and  we  reached  Janesville.  *  *  *  *  ]\jy 
appointments  lay  mostly  up  the  Red  Cedar  antl  its  tributaries. 
One,  however,  was  forty  miles  without  a  tree  and  only  one  house. 
I  crossed  that  prairie  twice  when  the  thermometer  was  twenty, 
degrees  below  zero.    All  that  winter,  up  to  the  middle  of  March, 


THE  ORIGINAL  MEMBERS 


47 


the  snow  lay  three  feet  in  the  woods,  and  up  to  the  tops  of  the 
fences  on  the  prau-ies;  but  I  filled  my  appointments.  I  carried  a 
shovel,  and  when  I  came  to  a  drift  too  deep  to  get  through,  I  got 
out  and  shoveled  a  track  for  my  ponies  to  follow.  One  day, 
about  ten  miles  from  any  house,  I  found  myself  in  a  drift  cru-ted 
over,  thermometer  about  thirty  degrees  below  zero,  and  I  began 
to  think  that  I  should  freeze;  but  prayer,  exercise,  and  persever- 
ance overcame,  and  I  got  there.  During  the  year  twelve  hundred 
souls  were  converted,  and  that  was  good  paj-  for  the  hardest 
work  any  man  ever  went  through." 

At  the  first  session  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  Bishop 
Janes  sent  for  Landon  Taylor  to  come  to  his  room.  The  Bishop 
asked  him  if  he  would  be  willing  to  take  charge  of  the  work  in 
the  Missouri  valley.  Mr.  Taylor  replied,  "Bishop,  if  this  Ls  your 
only  hope,  put  me  down."  In  reading  the  appointments,  when 
he  came  to  Sioux  City  District,  Landon  Taylor;  Sioux  City  Sta- 
tion, Landon  Taylor,  he  paused,  then,  with  the  emphasis  which  he 
only  coidd  impart,  he  exclaimed,  "Glory  enough  for  one  man!" 

Landon  Taylor  writes:  "So  far  as  territory  was  concerned 
the  northwest  one-fourth  of  the  state  was  placed  under  my  super- 
vision." To  reach  Sioux  City,  he  had  to  travel  a  distance  of  over 
three  hundred  miles  across  an  unsettled  country  and  when  he 
reached  his  destination  he  found  no  society  and  but  few  of  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  of  life.  The  first  winter  (1856-7) 
was  one  of  unusual  severity.  Storms  and  blizzards  were  frequent, 
snow  was  four  feet  deep  on  the  level,  no  one  could  travel  for  weeks, 
provisions  were  exhausted,  many  suffered  severely,  ami  some 
perished  with  hunger  and  cold.  In  some  instances  it  was  danger- 
ous to  venture  far  from  home  in  view  of  the  hungry  wolves.  A 
man,  where  Mr.  Taylor  stopped  for  the  night,  had  been  out  to  his 
grove,  about  one  mile  from  his  home,  after  a  load  of  wood,  when 
his  large  dog  was  encountered  by  several  wolves  which  within  five 


48 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


minutes  left  nothing  but  his  bones;  and  the  owner  had  to  leave 
his  wood  behind  and  flee  for  his  life.  In  another  instance,  a  negro 
had  been  chopping  at  a  little  distance  from  home,  and  on  his  re- 
turn he  was  driven  by  a  pack  of  wolves  into  a  fence  corner,  where 
his  remains  and  his  axe  were  found,  with  six  dead  wolves  by  his 
side. 

During  the  same  year  and  within  the  Sioux  City  District, 
occurred  the  Spirit  Lake  Indian  Massacre,  one  of  the  most  brutal 
and  atrocious  massacres  in  American  history.  A  white  man 
named  Henry  Lott,  a  desperado,  murdered  a  Sioux  Indian  chief 
and  then  made  his  escape.  A  brother  of  the  murdered  chief 
brooded  sullenly  over  the  terrible  deed  and  vowed  revenge.  The 
time  for  retaliation  came  in  the  winter  of  1856-7.  Gathering  to- 
gether about  thirty  of  his  warriors,  he  started  up  the  Little 
Sioux  Valley  and  continued  on  to  Lake  Okoboji  and  along  the 
shore  of  Spirit  Lake.  They  went  from  cabin  to  cabin,  shot  the 
men  and  then  turned  upon  the  women  and  children  and  beat  their 
brains  out  with  clubs.  Near  one  cabin  eleven  mutilated  bodies 
were  left  to  mark  the  spot  of  the  bloody  massacre.  At  another 
place  were  found  the  mangled  bodies  of  five  men,  two  women  and 
children  lying  about  the  burning  cabin,  while  the  shrieks  of  other 
children  roasting  in  the  flames,  made  a  scene  of  horrors  too  hid- 
eous to  be  described.  It  is  estimated  that  in  all  there  were  forty- 
one  killed,  twelve  missing,  three  badly  wounded,  and  four  women 
carried  away  prisoners.  After  weeks  of  terrible  suffering  and  un- 
speakable horrors,  three  of  the  women  were  killed.  One  only 
was  finally  rescued.  As  soon  as  possible  an  expedition  of  armed 
men  was  organized  that  drove  the  Indians  from  the  state. 

Through  all  the  excitement  caused  by  this  bloody  massacre 
and  its  attendant  dangers,  Landon  Taylor  and  his  preachers 
remained  at  their  posts.  Landon  Taylor  relates  this  incident 
which  occurred  on  his  district: 

"In  passing  around  our  work,  we  had  to  pass  through  Ida 


THE  ORIGINAL  MEMBERS 


49 


Grove,  where  I  always  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  a  gentle- 
man who  was  the  first  settler  and  principal  man  of  the  place.  At 
that  time  there  were  but  a  few  families  and  no  church  organiza- 
tion; but  he  had  been  raised  a  Methodist,  and  was  what  might  be 
called  a  pretty  good  orthodox  sinner.  I  always  enjoyed  put- 
ting up  with  him  and  his  kind  family,  and  he  was  as  well  satisfied 
as  myself.  My  bill  of  fare  was  alway  adjusted  by  his  generosity, 
without  reckoning  up  my  debt  or  credit.  My  successor,  however, 
did  not  fare  so  well. 

"When  leaving  the  circuit  he  inquired  how  much  he  was  in 
debt.  The  answer  was  that  he  could  not  tell  without  looking  over 
the  account.    So  here  the  settlement  commenced : 

Rev.  ,  Dr. 

"To  so  many  nights'  lodging  and  meals.  .$20.00 
"To  horse  feed  in  addition   10.00 

"  Total  indebtedness  $30.00 

"At  this  point  my  ministerial  brother  was  non-plussed,  fear- 
ing lest  after  this  bill  was  paid  he  would  not  have  money  enough 
to  pay  his  way  to  conference.  After  enjoying  his  embarrassment 
a  few  moments,  the  man  said  to  the  minister,  'See  here,  your 
credits  are  to  come  in  before  we  strike  a  balance.' 

"  'Credits,'  said  the  preacher;  'I  have  no  credits  to  offset 
that  indebtedness.' 

"  'Yes  you  have,  and  here  they  are: 

"By  so    many  sermons  preached  $10.00 

By  so  many  prayers  in  the  family   15.00 

By  so  many  blessings  at  table   5.00 

By  one  prayer  on  one  knee — half  price . .  .25 


Total  $30.25 

I  owe  you  twenty-five  cents  and  here  is  your  money.'  " 


50 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


At  the  close  of  his  second  year  on  the  Sioux  City  District, 
Landon  Tayhir  writes  as  foUows: 

"Two  years  have  passed  since  I  entered  upon  this  work;  and 
though  I  have  encountered  many  hardships,  braved  dangers, 
and  suffered  the  loss  of  many  social  pleasures,  yet  I  have  been 
honored  with  the  privilege  of  preaching  the  gospel  where  its 
joyful  sound  had  never  been  heard,  organizing  new  societies,  estab- 
lishing new  Sunday  Schools,  witnessing  the  conversion  of  many 
souls,  and  laying  the  foundation  for  the  further  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  church  of  Christ." 

The  experiences  above  related  are  typical  experiences  of  the 
pioneer  Methodist  preacher  in  Iowa.  Add  to  all  these  the  meagre 
and  utterly  inadequate  support,  and  we  have  a  true  view  of  the 
life  of  the  early  itinerant.  The  greatest  hardships  and  sufferings, 
however,  were  endured  by  the  family.  They  ofttimes  lived  in 
shanties  and  cabins  unprotected  from  the  rains  of  summer  and 
snows  of  winter,  with  scant  supply  of  fuel  and  food,  and  thinly 
clad, — sometimes  a  half  mile  distant  from  the  nearest  neighbor 
with  husband  and  father  away  on  the  circuit  three-fourths  of  the 
time ;  and  with  no  trained  nurse  or  medical  service  in  case  of  sick- 
ness. The  preachers  could  endure  privations,  perils  and  hardships 
themselves,  but  to  have  wife  and  children  thus  exposed  was  some- 
times more  than  they  could  bear.  It  is  a  sad  commentary  on  the 
above  conditions,  that  during  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  the 
history  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  in  proportion  to  the  mem- 
bership, five  times  as  many  ministers  retired  from  the  Conference 
by  location  as  in  the  last  twenty-five  years.  Doubtless  other 
reasons  can  be  found  for  this  strange  historical  fact,  but  the  chief 
reason  was  the  exposures  were  so  great,  the  labor  so  excessive  and 
the  support  so  inadequate  as  to  seem  unendurable;  and  so  for  the 
sake  of  wife  and  children,  they  turned  to  secular  pursuits. 


THE    ORIGINAL  MEMBERS 


51 


Oh,  ye  preachers  and  pastors  of  today,  who  live  in  nicely 
furnished  parsonages,  preach  in  elegant  and  spacious  churches, 
ride  in  palace  cars,  seek  for  better  appointments,  and  think  you 
are  making  great  sacrifices  for  the  Master,  remember  the  fathers, 
how  they  toiled  and  suffered  and  died  to  make  possible  the  privi- 
leges and  luxuries  you  now  enjoy. 

We  must  not  imagine  that  these  early  itinerants  counted  it 
a  hardship  to  go  from  place  to  place  and  travel  these  extensive 
circuits.  They  accepted  their  appointments  as  from  the  Lord, 
and  went  forth  joyfully,  esteeming  it  a  privilege  to  help  lay  the 
foundations  of  the  church  in  a  new  country.  Besides,  there  were 
many  bright  scenes  connected  with  these  pioneer  times.  The 
hospitality  of  the  people  was  beautiful.  One  can  hardly  im- 
agine how  pioneer  itinerants  could  have  achieved  their  success 
in  laying  the  foundations  of  Methodism  in  Iowa  without  this  form 
of  Christian  liberality.  The  meeting  of  dear  familiar  faces,  the 
hearty  welcome  such  as  only  pioneers  can  give,  the  good  cheer, 
the  delightful  converse,  the  gratitude  of  multitudes  led  to  Christ, 
all  formed  a  picture  which  the  weary  itinerant  carefully  hung 
in  memory. 

The  northeast  one-fourth  of  Iowa,  which  since  1864  has  con- 
stituted the  territory  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  was  prac- 
tically included  in  its  circuits  and  districts  at  the  time  of  organ- 
ization. The  growth  of  the  Conference  since  1856  has  not  been 
by  extending  her  borders  into  new  territory,  but  by  developing 
the  unoccupied  fields  within  her  boundaries.  This  development 
has  resulted  largely  from  the  great  influx  of  population  and 
the  building  of  railroads.  The  population  of  the  state  since  1856 
has  grown  from  517,000  to  over  2,000,000.  Railroads  have  been 
built  across  the  Conference  from  east  to  west  and  from  north  to 
south.    Instead  of  being  almost  entirely  a  rural  people,  we  have 


52 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


become  largely  an  urban  people  living  in  towns  and  cities.  Instead 
of  little  or  no  communication  with  the  outside  world  and  rarely 
a  newspaper  to  read,  we  have  a  daily  mail  and  rural  and  free  deliv- 
ery bringing  the  great  metropolitan  papers  to  our  doors,  and  also 
the  telegraph  and  telephone  by  which  we  are  brought  into  speaking 
distance  with  other  states  and  with  lands  beyond  the  sea.  From 
living  in  shanty  and  cabin  we  have  come  to  live  in  cozy  cottages 
and  elegant  mansions.  The  vast  unsettled  prairies  have  become 
covered  with  immense  fields  of  grain  and  are  the  abode  of  civiliza- 
tion. We  no  longer  have  preaching  places  in  barn,  cabin,  grove  and 
school  house,  but  in  spacious  churches  containing  cushioned  pews 
and  sweet  toned  organs,  heated  with  furnaces  and  lighted  with 
electricity.  These  changes  have  gone  rapidly  forward  and  are  so 
familiar  to  the  reader  that  we  need  not  trace  them  in  detail  in 
this  brief  history.  We  shall  therefore  show  only  the  growth  and 
work  of  the  Conference  in  the  lines  of  its  activities  and  achieve- 
ments. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


53 


CHAPTER  V. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION 

It  may  be  truthfully  affirmed  that  Iowa  Methodists  have  a 
passion  for  education.  In  1842,  when  the  Iowa  Territory  was  but 
four  years  old,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot,  led  by  G.  B.  Bowman, 
then  pastor  at  Iowa  City,  to  secure  the  establishment  of  "The 
Iowa  City  College.  "  A  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Territorial 
Legislative  Assembly  providing  that  said  "College  should  be  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  power  to 
confer  all  degrees  in  the  arts  and  learned  professions. "  This  col- 
lege was  adopted  by  the  Iowa  Conference  at  its  first  session  in  1844. 
Among  its  trustees  were  G.  B.  Bowman,  Bartholomew  Weed, 
Ex-Governor  Robert  Lucas,  Anson  Hart  and  J.  P.  Farley.  The 
school  was  opened  in  1845,  James  Harlan  from  Indiana,  who  was 
afterwards  United  States  Senator,  being  the  president.  In  1847, 
]VIr.  Harlan  resigned  to  accept  of  the  state  superintendency  of 
schools,  the  school  was  closed  and  the  Iowa  Citj-  College  move- 
ment was  abandoned.  About  the  same  time,  viz.,  in  1842,  the 
Mount  Pleasant  Collegiate  Institute  was  projected,  which  after- 
wards developed  into  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  University. 

In  1852  a  movement  was  inaugurated  by  G.  B.  Bowman  to 
found  and  build  an  institution  of  learning  at  Mount  Vernon.  A 
building  was  erected  and  the  school  opened  November  14,  1853, 
and  was  called  the  Iowa  Conference  Seminary.  In  1855  the 
articles  of  incorporation  were  amended,  the  powers  of  the  insti- 
tution enlarged  and  its  name  changed  to  Cornell  College.. 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  at  its  first  session  in  1856  adopted 
the  following  resolution:  "Resolved,  that  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference  adopt  Cornell  College,  located  at  Mount  Vernon  and 


54 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


formerly  known  as  Iowa  Conference  Seminary,  as  their  college, 
and  they  hereby  pledge  themselves  to  its  patronage  and  support.  " 

At  the  same  session  of  the  Conference,  the  committee  on  ed- 
ucation reported  that  "Fayette  Seminary  in  Fayette,  Iowa,  is 
rapidly  approaching  completion,  and  the  Trustees  purpose  to 
open  the  school  for  the  reception  of  students  by  the  middle  of 
January,  1S57. "  The  committee  also  reported  "that  prelimi- 
nary arrangements  had  been  made  for  the  erection  of  a  seminary 
at  Epworth  in  Dubuque  County ; "  all  of  which  was  approved  by 
the  Conference. 

The  committee  further  recommended,  "To  meet  the  increas- 
ing demands  of  the  church  in  this  department  of  her  work  and  to 
provide  more  generally  and  efficiently  for  its  accomplishment 
the  appointment  of  a  commission,  to  whom  during  the  interim  of 
conference  propositions  may  be  submitted  of  institutions  of  learn- 
ing to  be  secured  by  the  Conference,  which  commission  shall  report 
in  detail  all  such  propositions  at  its  next  session.  " 

Signed, 

Philo  E.  Brown, 
Alpha  J.  Kynett, 
J.  C.  Ayres, 
J.  T.  Coleman. 

In  1857  the  Conference  declared,  "We  are  fully  convinced, 
that  to  render  the  work  of  evangelization  permanent  and  emi- 
nently successful,  the  educational  enterprises  of  the  day  must  be 
mainly  under  the  direction  of  evangelical  denominations.  The 
fact  cannot  be  questioned  nor  overlooked,  that  here  in  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  is  to  be  fought  the  great  battle  of  human  rights  and 
pure  Christianity.  Leave  the  education  of  our  youth  to  be  con- 
ducted imder  the  influence  of  a  corrupt  Christianity,  or  even 
without  any  religious  influence,  and  the  future  of  our  land  is  dark 
and  gloomy.    The  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  occupying  as  it  does. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


55 


a  central  position  in  the  fiekl,  ought  to  feel  that  vast  responsibili- 
ties rest  upon  it  in  this  matter,  and  ought  to  rejoice  that  so  ex- 
cellent an  opportunity  is  given  of  engaging  in  this  magnificent 
enterprise. "  In  1858  the  Conference  resolved  that,  "Intellectual 
culture  has  an  importance  too  little  regarded.  Our  Church  is  be- 
coming thoroughly  aroused  to  this  great  work  and  is  taking  hold 
of  it  manfully  and  resolutely.  The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  has 
three  institutions  of  learning  already  commenced.  It  becomes  vis 
as  a  church  to  foster  and  encourage  by  our  prayers,  our  influence 
and  our  means,  these  noble  bulwarks  of  our  Conference  and  State." 
After  recognizing  the  reports  of  continued  prosperity  of  the  three 
schools  already  named,  the  Conference  appointed  a  committee  of 
correspondence  in  regard  to  the  selection  of  sites  for  additional 
literary  institutions,  with  instructions  to  report  at  the  next  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference. 

To  properly  appreciate  the  above  policA'  to  secure  more 
schools  of  higher  grade,  it  should  be  remembered  that  at  that  time 
there  was  no  provision  in  law  for  high  schools  or  colleges  to  be 
supported  by  the  state.  It  was  generally  believed  that  education 
by  the  state  would  and  should  be  limited  to  elementary  or  common 
schools,  and  that  all  educational  institutions  of  higher  and  highest 
grade  should  be  under  private  and  denominational  control.  Such 
had  been  the  policy  of  the  eastern  states  and  it  was  expected  that 
such  would  be  the  policy  of  the  new  western  states.  Besides,  it 
was  further  believed  that  seminaries  or  schools  of  secondary  grade 
would  be  easily  and  forever  self-supporting,  and  even  remunera- 
tive, after  suitable  buildings  and  grounds  were  provided. 

The  above  policy  was  abandoned  in  1860,  and  the  following 
was  adopted,  viz.,  "Resolved  that  we  already  have  a  sufficient 
number  of  institutions,  and  we  deem  it  the  true  policy  to  rally 
around  and  place  upon  a  permanent  basis  those  now  under  our 
patronage,  rather  than  to  multiply  their  number.  " 


56 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


It  is  well  known  that  very  few  conferences  in  Methodism  have 
attempted  to  build  and  equip  more  than  a  single  college,  and 
usually  several  conferences  have  united  in  the  support  of  one  col- 
lege. The  wisdom  or  unwisdom  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
policy  of  establishing  several  schools  of  high  grade  may  now  be 
considered  in  the  light  of  fifty  years  experience.  That  the  burden 
laid  upon  the  promoters  of  each  school  has  been  increased  is  freely 
granted.  Their  task  has  been  greater  and  has  required  more 
heroic  courage,  greater  self-denial  and  personal  sacrifice  than 
would  have  been  needed  if  there  had  been  but  one  school.  The 
results  achieved  in  material  equipment,  num^ber  of  students 
educated,  teachers  employed,  and  quality  of  education  given, 
will  appear  in  the  following  historical  sketch  of  these  schools. 
Cornell  College 

Cornell  College  is  situated  in  Mount  Vernon,  Iowa,  a  town 
celebrated  for  its  beautiful  location  and  its  high  moral  and  liter- 
ary influences.  It  was  first  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Iowa 
Conference  Seminary  and  the  school  was  formally  opened  Novem- 
ber 14,  1853.  The  first  faculty  consisted  of  Samuel  M.  Fellows, 
A.  M.,  Principal,  assisted  by  Professor  David  H.  Wheeler,  A.M., 
and  Miss  Catherine  A.  Fortner,  Preceptress. 

In  1855  the  institution  was  re-incorporated  with  enlarged 
powers  and  the  name  changed  to  Cornell  College. 

The  history  of  the  College  has  been  phenomenal,  its  growth 
rapid  and  constant.  It  has  been  the  policy  from  the  beginning 
to  place  upon  its  board  of  Trustees  men  zealous  for  Christian 
education,  loyal  to  Methodism,  of  financial  ability  and  business 
sagacity,  of  broad  and  liberal  spirit,  conservative  yet  aggressive, 
who  were  ready  to  give  their  thought  and  means  to  build  up  a 
great  Christian  institution  of  learning.  Among  the  earliest  trus- 
tees were  the  Honorable  Hiram  Price  of  Davenport,  Honorable 
J.  P.  Farley  and  Senator  D.  N.  Cooley   of   Dubuque,  Honorable 


1.  W.  A.  Gibbens  5.  I.  C.  Lusk  9.  H.  D.  Atchison  13.  R.  D.  Parsons 

2.  C.  A.  Hawn  6.  H.  H.  Fairall  10.  S,  C  Bretnall  14.  W.F.King 

3.  M.N.Smith  7.  \Vm.  A.  Shanklin  11.  F.M.Coleman  15.  C.L.Gould 

4.  J.  H.  Hoskyn  8.  T.  M.  Evans  12.  E.  G.  Cattermole  16.  W.  S.  Skinner 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


57 


W.  J.  Young  of  Clinton  and  Henry  A.  Collin,  Esquire,  of  Mount 
Vernon,  and  others,  both  ministers  and  laymen,  who  through  all 
its  history  carried  the  College  on  their  hearts  and  freely  gave  their 
best  efforts  in  promoting  the  great  work  committed  to  their 
care.  The  wisdom  of  the  trustees  has  been  shown  not  only  in 
the  successful  management  of  the  finances  of  the  school,  but  also 
in  the  selection  and  retention  of  an  able  faculty. 

The  members  of  the  faculty  have  the  unique  distinction  of  a 
longer  term  of  service  than  any  other  college  faculty  in  I^Iethodism. 
The  College  has  had  but  three  presidents  in  its  history  of  fifty- 
three  years.  R.  W.  Keeler,  D.  D.,  served  as  president  for  two 
years;  Samuel  M.  Fellows,  A.  M.,  stood  at  the  head  for  eight  years; 
William  Fletcher  King,  L.  L.  D.,  has  been  the  president  forty- 
three  years.  In  years  of  service,  President  King  outnumbers 
every  other  college  president  in  Methodism,  if  not  in  America. 
Not  only  has  he  devoted  to  the  College  his  life,  his  best  thought 
and  effort,  but  his  means  as  well.  He  gave  fifty  tliousand  dollars 
to  endow  the  Lucy  King  Professorship,  in  memory  of  an  only  daugh- 
ter of  unusual  beauty  and  promise  whose  early  translation  filled 
many  hearts  with  sorrow.  At  the  semi-centennial  jubilee  of  the  Col- 
lege, he  gave,  in  memory  of  his  sainted  wife,  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  endow  one  hundred  free  scholarships  in  the  College, 
one  for  every  county  in  the  state  and  two  for  Kossuth  County,  the 
largest  county  in  Iowa. 

President  King  has  been  ably  supported  by  a  strong  faculty. 
Those  most  worthy  of  mention  by  reason  of  long  service  are  Vice- 
President,  James  E.  Harlan,  w^ho  by  his  wise  administration  of 
the  internal  affairs  of  the  College,  has  made  possible  the  work  of 
President  King;  also  Professors  Alonzo  Collin,  Hugh  Boyd,  Ham- 
lin H.  Freer,  Sylvester  N.  Williams,  and  Harriette  J.  Cooke, 
each  of  whom  has  served  the  College  over  thirty  years.  These 
and  their  associates  have  worked  together  with  singular  harmony, 
zeal,  and  ability  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  College. 


58 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Around  this  faculty  has  grown  a  band  of  alumni,  twelve 
hundred  strong,  unexcelled  in  loyalty  to  their  alma  mater,  an 
alumnal  body  that  has  contributed  two  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to  the  funds  of  the  College,  whose  members  have  risen  to  positions 
of  honor  and  trust  in  church  and  state,  and  whose  influence  is 
recognized  in  the  state  and  nation  and  across  the  sea. 

From  the  beginning,  women  were  admitted  to  equal  privi- 
leges with  men,  both  as  students  and  teachers. 

The  favor  of  God  has  rested  continuously  on  the  College. 
Thousands  of  students  have  been  converted  in  its  halls,  many  of 
whom  are  now  laboring  in  the  Christian  ministry. 

The  College  provides  four  courses  of  study:  Classical,  philo- 
sophical, scientific,  and  civil  engineering,  leading  to  the  bacca- 
laiu-eate  degree.  There  are  also  under  the  supervision  of  the  Col- 
lege an  academy,  normal  and  commercial  courses,  and  special 
advantages  are  given  in  the  schools  of  art  and  oratory  and  in  the 
conservatory  of  music. 

The  catalogue  of  1906  shows  three  hundred  and  eighty-two 
students  in  the  regular  college  classes,  an  average  of  ninety-five  in 
each  class. 

Eleven  hundred  and  eighty-five  have  graduated  from  the  four 
regular  courses  of  study,  and  about  an  equal  number  from  the 
special  courses. 

Forty-one  professors  and  instructors  compose  the  faculty. 
The  College  campus,  including  atliletic  grounds,  is  seventy- 
five  acres. 

The  work  of  the  College  is  carried  on  in  seven  commodious 
buildings  which  are  well  equipped  with  apparatus,  museum, 
studios  and  laboratories. 

The  library  contains  twenty-six  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  volumes,  besides  pamphlets,  and  is  kept  and  preserved 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


59 


in  a  convenient  and  commodious  fire-proof  building,  the  gift  of 
Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie. 

The  value  of  buildings,  grounds  and  equipment  is 
$326,667.00.  The  total  endowment,  productive  and  unproduc- 
tive, is  $450,000 . 00.    The  annual  income  is  S56,S63 . 00. 

Upper  Iowa  University. 

In  the  autumn  of  1854,  when  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Alexander  was 
urged  to  send  her  daughters  away  to  school,  she  replied,  "No,  but 
let  us  establish  a  school  here  for  our  young  people. "  The  propo- 
sition was  received  with  favor.  Her  husband.  Colonel  Robert  Alex- 
ander, and  her  sons-in-law,  Samuel  and  James  E.  Robertson, 
united  in  offering  generous  contributions  of  land  and  money. 
An  organization  was  effected  under  the  name  of  Fayette  Seminary, 
and  in  the  summer  of  1855  the  first  building  was  commenced. 
In  1856  the  waUs  of  the  second  and  third  stories  were  laid,  the 
building  covered  and  sufficiently  completed  for  use,  and  Fayette 
Seminary  was  first  opened  for  students  January  7, 1857,  with 
Wm.  H.  Poor,  A.  M.,  Principal,  and  Miss  Louisa  Rice,  preceptress. 

In  August,  1857,  Lucius  H.  Bugbee,  A.  M.,  was  elected  prin- 
cipal, and  Miss  Ellen  A.  Dayton,  preceptress,  and  the  first  academ- 
ic year  commenced  September  17,  1857.  During  the  first  school 
year  the  plan  and  scope  of  the  school  were  enlarged  and  the  name 
changed  to  Upper  Iowa  University,  which  was  formally  accepted 
by  the  Conference  in  1858. 

President  Bugbee  was  a  man  of  rare  qualities,  an  inspirer 
of  youth  and  an  excellent  disciplinarian.  April  21,  1860,  he  re- 
signed and  William  Brush,  D.  D.,  was  placed  in  charge,  and  in 
July  following  was  elected  president,  which  position  he  held  until 
1869.  President  Brush  was  a  fine  scholar  and  an  able  educator. 
His  plans  were  broad  and  far-reaching,  and  prosecuted  with  an 
energy  that  seemed  well  nigh  unlimited. 

C.  N.  Stowers,  A.  M.,  succeeded  Dr.  Brush  as  president  and 


6o 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


remained  one  year.  Byron  W.  McLain,  A.  M.,  was  made  acting 
president  and  served  two  years.  In  1872  R.  Norton,  A.  M., 
then  pastor  at  Fayette,  was  elected  president,  and  for  one  year 
performed  the  duties  of  both  positions.  Under  his  administra- 
tion the  number  of  students  increased  and  public  confidence  re- 
vived. 

In  1873  John  William  Bissell,  D.  D.,  was  placed  in  charge  and 
in  1874  he  was  elected  president.  His  administration  of  twenty- 
seven  years  was  one  of  marked  success.  His  Christ-like  life  and 
character  inspired  and  molded  the  moral  and  intellectual  lives 
of  thousands  of  young  men  and  women.  He  ever  held  be- 
fore the  students  the  highest  ideals,  both  of  scholarship  and 
character.  His  self-sacrificing  labors  aided  by  a  strong  faculty 
and  the  co-operation  of  the  board  of  trustees,  resulted  in  a  great 
increase,  not  only  in  material  resources  but  in  the  number  both  of 
professors  and  .students,  in  the  number  and  scope  of  its  courses 
of  study,  in  its  library  and  apparatus  and  in  its  relative  position 
among  the  colleges  of  the  land. 

Dr.  Bissell  was  succeeded  in  1899  by  Guy  P.  Benton,  A.  M., 
an  enthusiastic  and  talented  young  educator,  who  served  the 
institution  with  vigor  and  energy  until  1902,  when  he  resigned  and 
Thomas  J.  Bassett,  Ph.  D.,  w^as  elected  his  successor.  Dr.  Bas- 
sett  brought  to  the  institution  many  years  of  experience  as  an 
educator  and  gave  the  full  measure  of  his  strength  to  the  growth 
of  the  school. 

In  1905  Dr.  Bassett  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  William 
Arnold  Shanklin,  LL.  D.  Dr.  Shanklin  has  assumed  the  labors 
of  his  office  with  all  the  virility  and  enthusiasm  belonging  to  a 
cultured,  consecrated,  matured  manhoo4,  with  large  faith  and  a 
firm  determination  to  provide  the  best  educational  advantages 
possible. 

The  University  now  has  a  faculty  of  thirty-three  teachers 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


6l 


who  combine  in  their  qualifications,  Christian  influence,  scholarly 
attainments,  and  teaching  ability.  It  also  has  a  growing  patron- 
izing territory  and  an  enthusiastic  student  body.  It  has  a  library 
of  ten  thousand  volumes,  and  well  equipped  laboratories. 

Among  its  ardent  friends  and  supporters  may  be  named  Ex- 
Governor  William  Larrabee,  who  for  many  years  as  trustee  has 
given  the  aid  of  his  wise  counsels,  w^ho  also  gave  a  donation  of 
$26,000.00;  and  the  late  Honorable  David  B.  Henderson,  who 
when  a  student  of  the  University  left  its  halls  to  enter  the  union 
army  and  after  the  war  rose  to  distinction  in  the  American  Con- 
gress and  became  Speaker  of  the  House  of 'Representatives.  His 
abiding  friendship  was  shown  in  securing  by  his  personal  influence 
the  gift  from  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie  of  $26,550.00  for  the  build- 
ing known  as  the  David  B.  Henderson  Library.  Honorable 
Quintus  C.  Babcock,  president  of  the  board  of  trustees,  recently 
gave  $25,000.00. 

The  first  graduate  of  the  University,  John  E.  Clough,  has 
become  eminent  as  a  Baptist  missionary  in  foreign  fields.  A 
former  student,  Mr.  John  R.  Mott,  is  the  recognized  leader  of 
young  people  in  Christian  and  mission  work.  Others  of  the 
students  and  alumni  have  won  distinction  at  the  bar,  in  the 
pulpit,  in  business,  in  Congress  and  in  the  United  States  Senate. 

The  University  buildings,  seven  in  number,  are  located  on  a 
beautiful  campus  of  twelve  acres  and  situated  in  the  town  of  Fay- 
ette, a  town  of  about  twelve  hundred  population,  and  noted  for 
its  beauty  of  location,  its  romantic  surroundings,  its  healthful 
climate,  and  its  freedom  from  saloons  and  gaming  resorts  of  any 
kind. 

In  the  catalogue  of  1906,  the  net  enrollment  of  students 
was  568.  Total  number  in  the  college  of  liberal  arts  161.  Total 
number  of  graduates  538. 


62 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


The  present  assets  of  the  University  are  estimated  as  follows : 

Value  of  buildings,  grounds  and  equipment  $150,000.00 

Value  of  endowment,  productive  and  unproductive  .136,000.00 

Total  resources  $286,000 . 00 

Epworth  Seminary 

This  institution,  located  at  Epworth,  Dubuque  County,  Iowa, 
was  founded  in  1857  by  a  company  of  devout  Methodists,  whose 
liberal  Christian  spirit  has  ever  been  a  benediction  to  the  school 
and  to  the  community.  First  among  these  was  Henry  W.  Reed, 
D.  D.,  who  for  many  years  was  a  leader  in  the  Upper  Iowa  Confer- 
ence. With  him  were  associated  Hezekiah  Young,  Otis  Briggs, 
Zephaniah  Kidder,  and  Philip  Keagy.  All  of  these  have  passed 
to  their  reward. 

At  first  a  single  brick  building  was  erected,  and  here  in  the 
faU  of  1857,  John  Pollock  opened  the  school.  For  two  years 
Professor  Pollock  and  his  esteemed  wife  labored  faithfully  and 
successfully.  He  was  succeeded  in  1859  by  Richard  W.  Keeler, 
D.  D.,  who  rendered  excellent  service  to  the  institution  during  the 
dark  days  of  the  rebellion. 

Principal  Keeler  retired  in  the  spring  of  1865,  and  in  1866 
J.  W.  Jewett  became  the  owner  of  the  school,  which  he  conducted 
as  a  private  enterprise  until  1870.  At  this  time,  through  the 
earnest  efforts  of  H.  W.  Houghton,  then  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Epworth,  the  school  was  re-purchased  by  the  Methodists  and 
Joshua  H.  Rigby,  A.  M.,  became  the  principal.  Principal  Rigby 
conducted  the  school  successfully  for  three  years  and  was  succeeded 
by  Adam  Holm.  During  the  five  years  of  Principal  Holm's  ad- 
ministration, much  good  work  was  done,  and  he  was  succeeded 
in  1878  by  J.  B.  Albrook,  A.  M. 

The  five  years  of  service  rendered  by  Principal  Albrook  were 
marked  by  the  erection  of  a  new  chapel,  a  valuable  addition  to  the 
Seminary  buildings,  the  thorough  grading  of  the  school,  and  a  large 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


63 


increase  in  the  enrollment  of  students.  Confidence  was  revived 
and  a  new  life  given  to  the  institution. 

Professor  G.  W.  Jones  was  elected  principal  in  1883.  During 
his  three  successful  years,  Husted  Hall  was  purchased  for  the 
accomodation  of  young  women. 

Professor  G.  Trowbridge  became  principal  in  1886,  but  re- 
tired in  a  few  months  and  R.  F.  Hurlburt  completed  the  year. 
B.  D.  Smith  served  as  principal  for  one  year  and  was  succeeded  in 
1889  by  W.  S.  Lewis,  who  gave  to  the  Seminary  a  tireless  service 
of  nine  years.  During  this  period  there  was  a  constant  increase 
in  the  enrollment  of  students  and  in  the  members  of  the  faculty, 
and  there  was  added  better  equipment  for  school  work.  Three 
objective  points  were  kept  constantly  in  \'iew,  viz. — 

1.  Thorough  classical  and  academic  work  preparatory  for  the 
freshman  and  sophomore  years  in  our  colleges; 

2.  A  normal  course  such  as  is  required  for  a  teacher's  state 
certificate; 

3.  A  special  course  in  the  English  Bible. 

The  Taylor  Home,  the  Lewis  Hall,  and  a  cottage  for  the 
principal  were  also  secured. 

In  1897  Frank  G.  Barnes,  A.  M.,  was  elected  to  the  principal- 
ship  and  gave  four  years  of  valuable  service  to  the  school .  He  c  om- 
pleted  the  raising  of  $10,000.00,  which  had  been  begun  by  Princi- 
pal Lewis,  to  endow  the  chair  of  the  English  Bible. 

H.  R.  DeBra,  A.  M.,  was  elected  principal  in  1901.  The 
policy  of  his  administration  is  to  maintain  the  religious  prestige 
of  the  institution,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  abreast  of  the  best 
schools  of  its  class.  The  aim  is  a  higher  standard  of  scholarship, 
better  equipped  laboratories,  new  buildings,  a  larger  library  fund, 
increased  number  of  teachers,  a  closer  affiliation  with  the  two 
colleges  of  the  conference,  and  an  increase  of  the  permanent  en- 
dowment fund. 


64 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


While  liberal  in  spirit,  the  Seminary  is  thoroughly  loyal  to 
the  standards  of  our  church.  Situated  in  the  midst  of  an  increas- 
ingly Roman  Catholic  population,  it  is  a  powerful  safeguard  of 
Methodist  interests. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  its  assets: 
Value  of  buildings,  grounds  and   equipments  ....$50,000.00 
Endowment,  productive  and  unproductive    17,000.00 


Total  resources 


1167,000.00 


1.  \V.  H.  Smith  5,  F.  G.  Young  9.  S.  GoodscU  13.  S.  C.  Bronson 

2.  J.  R.  A.  Manner  6.  C.  S.  Burnard  10.  H.  E.  Wilcox  14.  F.  T.  Heatly 

3.  J.  B.  Albrook  7.  G.  E.  Shear  11.  J.  B.  Wyatt  15.  A.  A.  Hallett 

4.  E.  G.  Waite  8.  N.  A.  Mershon  12.  Elias  Skinner  16.  Reese  Wolfe 


CHURCH  EXTENSION 


65 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CHURCH  EXTENSION 

In  the  first  years  of  the  Conference,  chvirch-ljuilding  was  an 
exceedingly  important  part  of  church  work.  As  railway  lines 
were  not  then  surveyed,  future  centers  of  population  could  not 
be  foreseen.  The  introduction  of  railroads  caused  some  towns  of 
large  promise  to  dwindle  and  finally  disappear,  and  other  little 
towns  to  grow  to  large  proportions.  To  know  when,  where  and 
how  large  a  church  should  be  built,  required  foresight  and  sagacity. 
After  exercising  all  possible  care  mistakes  were  made,  and  some 
churches  were  badly  located,  or  planned  on  too  large  a  scale  for 
the  subsequent  needs  of  the  localit}-.  This  subject  early  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  Conference,  as  appears  from  the  following 
action. 

In  185S  the  committee  on  church  extension  reported  as  fol- 
lows, and  the  report  was  adopted:  "In  the  judgment  of  the  com- 
mittee, the  acquisition  of  church  property  has  been  too  much 
neglected  by  us.  In  most,  if  not  all,  our  new  towns  and  villages, 
lots  for  churches  and  parsonages  might  be  secured  by  donation, 
if  the  proper  efforts  were  made.  But  as  far  as  your  committee  is 
apprised,  in  but  few  instances  has  this  been  done.  This  subject 
should  receive  the  attention  of  the  brethren  without  further  de- 
lay, therefore 

"Resolved,  that  the  presiding  elder  of  each  district  and  the 
preacher  in  charge  of  each  circuit  or  station  be  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  examine  the  title  to  all  our  church  property  in  each  of 
the  circuits  and  stations,  and  to  procure  additional  church  prop- 
erty, and  that  each  presiding  elder  be  required  to  report  in  refer- 
ence to  this  subject  at  the  next  session  of  this  Conference. 

A.  J.  Kynett,  Chairman. " 


66 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


In  1860  the  committee  on  church  extension  made  the  fol- 
lowing recommendations : 

1.  Select  the  site  most  convenient  for  the  entire  congrega- 
tion. It  is  very  bad  policy  to  build  out  of  town,  or  make  a  bad 
location  to  save  a  few  doUars  or  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  a  few  at 
the  expense  of  the  many. 

2.  Secure  good  titles  before  you  build,  and  if  not  prepared 
to  build,  get  all  the  property  you  can  so  as  to  aid  you  in  build- 
ing when  you  are  able. 

3.  In  building,  avoid  as  much  as  possible,  debt,  for  it  is 
easier  to  raise  one  thousand  dollars  to  complete  a  building,  than 
one  hundred  to  pay  off  an  old  debt;  patj  as  you  go. 

4.  Especially  when  the  place  of  worship  gets  too  small  for 
comfort,  and  the  number  of  inhabitants  increasing,  make  immedi- 
ate arrangements  for  the  erection  of  another  place  of  worship. 
The  want  of  proper  attention  to  this  has  been  a  great  loss  to  the 
church. 

A.  Coleman,  Chairman. " 

The  financial  crisis  of  1857  caused  great  business  depression 
throughout  the  country.  Many  banks  suspended  specie  pay- 
ment, thousands  of  citizens  were  unable  to  get  money  to  pay 
their  taxes  or  save  their  property  from  sale  under  process  of  law, 
and  hundreds  were  reduced  from  prosperous  farmers,  mechanics 
and  merchants  to  poverty  and  destitution.  Before  the  country 
coiild  rally  from  this  overwhelming  financial  distress,  the  civil 
war  of  1861  was  begun,  which  still  further  paralyzed  business  and 
depressed  the  people.  Not  only  people  but  churches  were  brought 
into  great  financal  distress. 

At  the  Conference  session  of  1864,  the  committee  on  church 
extension  reported  as  follows : 

"Whereas,  Many  of  our  churches  are  embarrassed  with  debt 
and  unless  prompt  aid  be  furnished,  some  of  them  will  be  lost  to 


CHURCH  EXTENSION 


67 


us;  and  whereas,  it  has  been  the  custom  for  churches  in  such  cases 
to  ask  for  special  agents  to  travel  and  beg  for  monej^  which  has 
often  deprived  churches  of  their  pastors  for  a  large  portion  of  the 
year  and  has  resulted  in  but  comparatively  little  profit  to  the 
church;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  that  we  proceed  to  organize  a  church  extension 
societ3\ 

"  Resolved,  that  we  respectfully  request  the  bishop  to  appoint 
as  corresponding  secretary  and  general  agent,  either  A.  J.  Kynett 
or  C.  G.  Truesdell. "    A.  J.  Kynett  was  appointed. 

In  1865  the  corresponding  secretary  reported  as  follows : 

"The  first  and  principal  work  to  which  we  were  called  dm-ing 
the  past  year  was,  as  indicated  in  the  action  of  the  Conference 
organizing  our  society,  'The  removal  of  old  church  debts. ' 

"Of  these  quite  a  number  were  of  several  years  standing  and 
had  been  the  occasion  of  much  anxiety  and  trouble  to  the  Confer- 
ence as  well  as  the  churches  involved.  Several  attempts  had  been 
made  by  efforts  at  home  and  appeals  abroad  to  relieve  them; 
but  all  proved  ineffectual,  and  at  the  time  our  society  was  organ- 
ized, properties  to  the  value  of  thousands  of  dollars  were  under 
mortgages  past  maturity,  and  in  great  and  immediate  danger  of 
being  lost.  We  are  most  happy  to  report  to  this,  our  first  annual 
meeting,  that  during  the  past  year,  by  the  favor  of  God  and  the 
liberality  of  the  people,  all  the  old  debts  have  been  removed." 

Among  the  cliurches  thus  saved  were  those  of  Bellevue,  Le- 
Claire,  Pleasant  Valley,  Decorah,  Waterloo  and  Clinton. 

Previous  to  this  time,  churches  and  parsonages  had  been  built 
without  the  plans  and  specifications  of  an  architect,  and  were 
destitute  of  beauty  and  convenience.  The  society  claimed  that 
this  was  bad  economy  and  worse  policy.  Accordingly  Mr.  W.  W. 
Sanborn  of  Lyons,  Iowa,  was  appointed  church  and  parsonage 
architect.    The  importance  of  using  his  carefully  prepared  plans 


68 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


and  specifications  was  strongly  urged  upon  both  pastors  and  people, 
architectural  designs  were  furnished  at  small  cost,  and  thus  the 
first  steps  were  taken  toward  beautifying  and  improving  our 
church  architecture.  This  improvement  has  gone  steadily  for- 
ward as  shown  in  the  beautiful  and  imposing  edifices  erected  in 
the  last  few  j^ears. 

In  1866  the  committee  on  church  extension  reported: 
"There  have  been  completed  and  dedicated  during  the  year, 
within  the  bounds  of  our  Conference,  nineteen  churches  at  an  ag- 
gregate cost  of  $65,695.00,  all  provided  for  at  dedications,  to  be 
paid  at  once  or  in  notes  bearing  same  rate  of  interest  as  the 
trustees  had  to  pay,  with  a  surplus  of  $3,000.00.  There  are  no 
church  debts  within  the  Conference.  Twenty  churches  are  in 
process  of  erection.  There  are  at  least  forty-three  other  places 
where  churches  worth  in  the  aggregate  $145,000.00  could  be  se- 
cured within  a  year  or  two,  by  pledging  aid  to  the  amount  of 
$15,000.00. " 

The  plans  of  our  society  provide  for  the  creation  in  its  treas- 
ury of  a  "Church  Extension  Fund  that  shall  be  perpetual,  to  be 
loaned  in  aid  of  church  building,  without  interest,  in  sums  not 
exceeding  one  thousand  dollars,  or  with  interest,  as  occasion  may 
require,  and  the  Board  shall  from  time  to  time  determine. "  The 
year  1866  was  the  centennial  year  of  Methodism  in  America  and 
the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  devoted  its  centennial  offerings  largely 
to  the  raising  of  this  "Church  Extension  Loan  Fund, "  to  be  used 
exclusively  for  the  benefit  of  churches  within  the  Conference. 

In  July,  1867  Dr.  A.  J.  Kynett  was  appointed  by  the  Board 
of  Bishops,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  General  Board  of 
Church  Extension,  with  headquarters  at  Philadelphia.  He 
therefore  tendered  his  resignation  as  Corresponding  Secretary  of 
the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  Board,  which  was  accepted  and  C.  G. 
Truesdell  was  elected  his  successor. 


CHURCH  EXTENSION 


69 


Dr.  Kj'nett's  promotion  to  the  general  office  was  a  fitting 
recognition  of  his  superior  financial  ability  and  of  his  excellent 
service  in  originating  and  successfully  managing  the  Conference 
movement  for  church  extension  and  the  great  plan  of  the  loan 
fund.  Besides,  he  had  been  the  originator  and  chief  promoter 
in  the  organization  by  the  General  Conference  of  1864  of  the 
General  Board  of  Church  Extension.  To  this  great  office  Dr. 
Kynett  was  elected  and  re-elected  eight  times  by  as  many  suc- 
cessive General  Conferences,  and  continued  in  office  until  his 
death  in  1899. 

Bishop  C.  D.  Foss,  at  the  memorial  services  of  Dr.  Kynett, 
remarked:  "If  our  church  lasts  a  thousand  years,  the  time  will 
never  come  when  any  faithful  student  of  Methodism  can  fail  to 
note  that  one  of  the  greatest  movements  of  our  church,  the  move- 
ment for  church  extension,  was  born  in  the  brain,  and  was  de- 
veloped by  the  skill,  and  was  saved  many  times  in  hours  of  peril 
by  the  firmness  and  strength  of  this  good  man  whose  mind  can 
never  cease  to  think,  and  whose  heart  can  never  cease  to  love. " 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  deems  it  an  honor  to  have  given 
to  the  church  the  founder  and  for  thirty-two  years  the  builder  of 
Church  Extension  in  Methodism. 

In  1871  the  Conference  Board  of  Church  Extension,  by  the 
authority  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  tendered  its  assets  to  the 
parent  society  on  conditions  which  were  accepted.  One  of  these 
conditions  was  that  the  loan  fund  of  the  Conference  should  be 
administered  by  the  parent  board  as  the  "Upper  Iowa  Conference 
Loan  Fund, "  for  the  sole  use  and  benefit  of  churches  within  said 
Upper  Iowa  Conference.  The  Conference  therefore  declared  that 
the  above  action  dispensed  with  the  necessity  of  continumg  the 
separate  corporate  existence  of  the  Conference  society  and  it  was 
formally  dissolved.  This  action  brought  the  Conference  into  full 
co-operation  with  sister  conferences  under  the  parent  society  ac- 


70 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


cording  to  the  provisions  of  the  discipline.  The  Upper  Iowa  Con- 
ference thus  agreed  to  share  equitably  the  burdens  and  benefits 
of  the  general  society. 

From  the  Methodist  Year  Book  for  1906  we  obtain  the  follow- 
ing summary  of  receipts  of  the  parent  board  from  the  beginning 
to  October  31,  1905:. 


Number  of  churches  aided  from  the  beginning  until  Octo- 
ber 31,  1905,  14,305. 

From  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  Official  Records  of  1906, 
we  gather  the  following: 

Number  of  churches  in  the  Conference,  329. 

Value  of  churches  in  the  Conference,  $1,731,000. 

Number  of  parsonages,  174. 

Value    of    parsonages,  $343,525. 

Total  value  of  church  property,  $2,074,525. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  churches  within  the  Conference  whose 
estimated  value  exceeds  $20,000.00.  Value  of  parsonages  is  also 
given. 

City  V alue  of  Value  of 


On  General  Fund 
On  Loan  Fund 
On  Annuity  Fund 
On  loans  returned 


$5,372,725.26 
. .  309,333.13 
,  .  963,322.67 
.  .2,042,962.15 


$8,688,343.21 


Church 


Parsonage 
$12,000.00 
12,000.00 
8,000.00 
4,500.00 
4,000.00 


Dubuque,  Saint  Luke's  .  .  .  .$150,000.00 
Davenport,  Saint  John's. .  .  .  112,000.00 

Iowa  City,    75,000.00 

Clinton,    60,700.00 

Mason   City,    42,000.00 


CHURCH 

EXTENSION 

71 

Toledo,   

40,000.00 

4,000.00 

Hampton,   

37,000.00 

3,000.00 

Marshalltown,   

35,000.00 

5,000.00 

Cedar  Falls,   

35,000.00 

5,000.00 

35,000.00 

5,000.00 

Mount  ^^ernon,   

35,000.00 

5,000.00 

Cedar  Rapids,  Saint  Paul's, . . 

30,000.00 

4,000.00 

Waterloo,  Grace,   

30,000.00 

4,000.00 

Parkersburg,   

25,000.00 

3,000.00 

Tipton,   

25,000.00 

2,500.00 

Traer,   

25,000.00 

5,000.00 

Osage,   

20,000.00 

2,000.00 

Vinton,   

20,000.00 

4,000.00 

There  are  also  eighteen  c 

■hurches  whose  values 

are  between 

810,000  and  $20,000. 

We  are  told  that  Methodism  brings  to  completion  every  week 
more  than  forty  houses  of  worship.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  contributes  her  part  toward  this  achievement.  The  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  gives  hearty  support  to  the  work  of  church  ex- 
tension. During  the  fifty  years  of  her  history,  this  Conference  has 
given  over  three  millions  of  dollars  for  building  churches  and 
parsonages  within  her  own  territory,  and  contributed  seA-enty 
thousand  dollars  to  aid  the  general  work  outside  of  the  Conference^ 
At  the  same  time  one  hundred  and  sixty  churches  within  the  Con- 
ference have  received  aid  from  the  General  Board  to  the  amount 
of  $25,000  in  donations,  and  over  $70,000  in  loans. 


72 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BOUNDARIES 

The  Iowa  Conference  was  organized  in  1844  and  included 
within  its  boundaries  all  of  Iowa  Territory. 

In  1855  the  Iowa  Conference  at  its  session  held  in  Keokuk, 
resolved  to  secure  at  the  approaching  General  Conference  a  division 
of  its  territory  and  the  formation  of  a  new  Conference.  It  appoint- 
ed a  committee  of  ten  on  "Conference  Division",  seven  of  whom 
were  from  the  southern  portion  of  the  Conference, viz.,  L.  J.  Rowley, 
W.  F.  Cowles,  J.  B.  Hardy,  T.  H.  Peterfish,  D.  Dickenson,  E.  W. 
Twining,  and  M.  F.  Shinn;  and  three  from  the  northern  part  of  the 
Conference,  viz.,  H.  W.  Reed,  G.  B.  Bowman,  and  Joel  B.  Taylor. 
This  committee  unanimously  reported  the  following  division  line 
which  was  adopted:  "Beginning  at  Davenport  on  the  Mississippi 
River,  thence  by  railroad  to  Iowa  City,  thence  up  the  Iowa  River  to 
the  corner  of  Iowa,  Benton,  Tama,  and  Poweshiek  Counties, 
thence  west  to  the  Missouri  River,  leaving  Iowa  City  and  Davenport 
in  the  northern  Conference.  " 

Examining  committees  were  appointed,  one  for  the  Iowa 
Conference  and  one  for  the  "Upper  Iowa  Conference,"  the  Iowa 
Conference  thus  naming  the  new  Conference. 

In  accordance  with  the  above  action  and  request  of  the  Iowa 
Conference,  the  General  Conference  of  1856  authorized  and  es- 
tablished the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  with  a  south  boundary  line 
as  fixed  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  Iowa  Conference. 

In  this  division  the  Iowa  Conference  retained  three-sevenths 
of  the  most  thickly  settled  portion  of  the  state;  and  to  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  was  given  about  four-sevenths  of  the  state,  the 
western  half  of  which  was  practically  an  unsettled  wilderness. 
The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  was  virtually  a  mission  conference. 
It  had  abundance  of  territory,  but  it  had  few  people. 


BOUNDARIES 


73 


The  Iowa  Conference  at  its  own  request  was  again  divided  in 
1S60  and  tlie  western  portion  comprising  the  southwest  one-fourth 
of  the  state  was  called  the  Western  Iowa  Conference. 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  was  divided  in  1864  and  its 
western  portion  was  united  with  the  Western  Iowa  Conference, 
the  whole  including  the  western  one-half  of  the  state,  and  its  name 
was  changed  to  the  Des  Moines  Conference. 

In  1872  the  Des  Moines  Conference  was  divided  and  its  north- 
ern part  was  called  the  Northwest  Iowa  Conference. 

It  wUl  be  seen  that  since  1864  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  has 
embraced  the  northeast  one-fourth  of  the  state. 

The  first  note  of  dissatisfaction  with  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  Iowa  and  the  Upper  Iowa  Conferences  was  heard  about 
the  year  1870.  In  1872  the  Iowa  Conference  filed  a  memorial 
with  the  General  Conference  requesting  that  a  change  be  made  in 
said  boundary  line  whereby  a  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  be  given  to  the  low^a  Conference.  In  that  Gen- 
eral Conference,  the  Honorable  Hiram  Price,  Member  of  Congress 
from  Iowa,  represented  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  its  Com- 
mittee on  Boundaries ;  the  question  as  to  the  right  and  expediency 
of  any  change  was  thoroughly  considered;  and  the  General  Con- 
ference, after  such  consideration,  refused  to  change  the  boundary 
line  as  requested.  In  1879  the  Iowa  Conference  served  notice 
upon  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  that  another  effort  would  be 
made  to  change  the  boundary  line  between  the  conferences. 
This  notice  was  referred  to  a  committee  which  reported  as  follows : 

"Your  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  communication 
from  the  Iowa  Conference,  giving  notice  that  an  effort  will  be  made 
by  that  Conference  through  their  delegates  to  the  next  General 
Conference  to  change  the  boundary  line  between  the  Upper  Iowa 
and  the  Iowa  Conferences  on  a  line  running  due  east  from  the  south 
line  of  Marshall  County,  respectfully  report,  that  we  sincerely 


74 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


deprecate  the  re-opening  of  this  question  so  often  settled  by  the 
General  Conference  in  obvious  harmony  with  all  the  interests  con- 
cerned. 

"We  find  nothing  of  record  in  the  journal  of  the  General 
Conference,  or  in  that  of  either  of  the  annual  conferences,  to 
show  that  any  agreement  existed  that  any  such  change  of  boundary 
should  ever  be  made,  nor  can  we  find  any  among  us  who  has  any 
knowledge  of  any  such  agreement,  expressed  or  implied.  H.  W. 
Reed,  a  charter  member  both  of  the  Iowa  and  Upper  Iowa  Con- 
ferences, who  was  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  Ten  on  Conference 
Division,  and  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  when  ours 
was  set  off  from  the  Iowa  Conference,  writes  in  a  letter  just  re- 
ceived by  a  member  of  your  committee:  'As  to  any  such  bargain 
as  they  (the  Iowa  Conference)  refer  to,  I  would  like  to  see  any  man 
of  the  other  contracting  party,  living  or  dead,  who  knows,  or  ever 
did  know  of  any  such  contract.  If  the  bargain  was  made  (which 
I  deny)  let  them  produce  the'  papers. ' 

"We  are  persuaded  that  conference  boundaries  should  be 
adjusted  with  reference  to  the  various  interests  involved,  and  with 
due  regard  to  the  wishes  of  the  people  immediately  concerned, 
rather  than  to  secure  an  equal  division  of  territory,  or  of  church 
members  among  our  ecclesiastical  jurisdictions.  AH  these  higher 
considerations  are  obviously  against  any  change  whatever.  First, 
the  change  proposed  would  detach  a  part  of  the  patronizing  ter- 
ritory of  Cornell  College  with  no  corresponding  advantage  to  any 
interest  of  education  in  the  Iowa  Conference.  Second,  the  people 
within  the  territory  to  be  transferred  are  unanimously  and  earn- 
estly opposed  to  it,  as  are  also  those  with  whom  they  have  been 
associated  in  conference  relations  for  twenty-three  years. 

"In  view  of  these  and  other  similar  considerations,  we  re- 
spectfully appeal  to  our  brethren  of  the  Iowa  Conference  to  desist 
from  any  further  agitation  of  this  question,  as  calculated  only  to 


BOUNDARIES 


75 


awaken  needless  anxiety  and  alarm  among  the  people  of  a  part  of 
our  territor}'  and  to  disquiet  the  peaceful  relations  which  have 
so  happil}'  existed  between  us.  The  question  was  long  ago  settled 
by  the  harmonious  decrees  of  Pro\'idence  and  the  Church.  'Let 
us  have  peace',  and  to  this  end,  Resolved,  That  we  do  most 
earnestly  protest  against  the  proposed  change,  or  any  change  of 
our  Conference  boundaries,  as  tending  to  produce  disquiet  and 
anxiety  among  a  contented  people,  and  to  seriovisly  injxire  import- 
ant interests  of  the  Ch\irch,  which  all  should  desire  to  conserve. " 

A.  J.  Kyxett, 
R.  St^'eaeixgex, 
Wm.  Fawcett, 
Emory  Miller, 
Wm.  F.  Ivixg. 

Notwithstanding  the  above  protest,  the  memorial  was  duly 
filed  in  the  General  Conference.  Richard  Swearingen  repre- 
sented the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  the  Committee  on  Bound- 
aries. The  question  was  ably  discussed  and  after  full  considera- 
tion, the  General  Conference,  by  a  decisive  vote,  again  refused 
to  make  any  change  in  the  boundary  line. 

Immediately  after  the  General  Conference  of  18S0,  the  Iowa 
Conference  sent  a  commiinication  to  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
requesting  the  appointment  of  a  joint  commission  on  boundaries. 
This  commimication  was  referred  to  a  committee  consisting  of  the 
recent  delegates  to  the  General  Conference,  which  reported  as 
follows : 

"Whereas,  Part  5,  Chapter  4  and  Paragraph  390  of  the  Dis- 
cipline provides  that  'Any  two  or  more  conferences  which  may 
be  mutually  interested  in  the  re-adjastment  of  their  common 
boimdaries  may  at  any  time  raise  a  joint  commission:  and 

"  WHEREASjthe  Upper  Iowa  Conference  is  satisfied  with  present 


76 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


boundaries,  and  is  not  mutually  interested  with  any  other  confer- 
ence in  a  re-adjustment  of  boundaries,  therefore 

"  Resolved,  that  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  declines  to  com- 
ply with  the  request  made  by  the  Iowa  Conference  in  said  com- 
munication. " 

Signed, 

Emory  IMiller, 
A.  J.  Kynett, 
R.  SwearinGen, 
F.  C.  Wolfe. 

In  1900  the  Iowa  Conference  filed  a  third  memorial  in  the 
General  Conference  requesting  as  before  that  the  boundary  line 
be  changed.  At  this  Conference,  A.  E.  Swisher,  Esquire,  of  Iowa 
City  and  Homer  C.  Stuntz  represented  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
on  the  Boundary  Committee,  and  again  after  careful  consideration, 
the  boundary  line  was  unchanged. 

Immediately  after  the  General  Conference  of  1900,  the  Iowa 
Conference  sent  to  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  a  second  request 
for  a  mutual  joint  commission  on  boundaries.  This  request  was 
referred  to  a  committee  which  reported  as  follows : 

"  Your  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  request  from  the 
Iowa  Conference  for  the  appointment  of  a  commission  for  re- 
adjustment of  conference  boundaries,  according  to  paragraph  436 
of  the  Discipline,  beg  leave  to  recommend  that  we  do  not  concur 
in  the  appointment  of  such  commission.  " 

R.  D.  Parsons,  Chairman, 
F.  M.  Coleman,  Secretary. 

In  1904  the  Iowa  Conference  filed  its  fourth  memorial  with 
the  General  Conference  asking  the  same  change  of  the  boundary 
line  as  follows,  viz.,  "Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Jasper 
County,  Iowa,  the  line  shall  run  due  east  on  the  north  line  of  Jas- 
per, Poweshiek,  Iowa  and  Johnson  Counties,  due  east  through 


BOUNDARIES 


77 


Cedar  and  Clinton  Counties  to  the  Mississippi  River,  leaving  the 
city  of  Clinton  in  the  Iowa  Conference. "  By  this  change  it  was 
proposed  to  remove  eighteen  important  charges  from  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  and  unite  them  with  the  Iowa  Conference.  A.  E. 
Swisher,  Esquire,  and  W.  F.  King  at  this  time  represented  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  in  its  committee  on  boundaries.  Mr.  Swisher 
prepared  and  printed  in  a  pamphlet  of  over  sixty  pages,  an  able 
and  exhaustive  argument,  which  is  of  such  historic  value  that  a 
synopsis  is  here  presented. 

1.  There  is  no  real  grievance,  no  pretense  by  the  Iowa  Con- 
ference that  the  territory  in  controversy  has  not  been  thoroughly 
cultivated  spiritually  by  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  nor  that  the 
Methodists  in  that  territory  are  not  doing  faithfvil  work  and  are 
not  loyal  to  their  own  Conference.  There  is  no  claim  that  the 
interests  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Iowa  would  be 
made  any  stronger  in  case  the  boundary  line  should  be  changed. 
It  is  claimed  by  the  Iowa  Conference  that  the  territory  in  square 
miles  and  the  total  population  are  less  in  the  Iowa  than  in  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference.  But  it  is  patent  to  everj'-  thoughtful 
person  who  has  any  knowledge  of  Methodist  conferences,  that 
neither  the  number  of  square  miles  nor  the  number  of  population 
do  to  any  extent  in  itself  show  the  strength  of  a  conference.  The 
census  shows  that  there  is  twice  the  percent  of  foreign  population 
in  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  This  foreign  population  is  scarcely 
accessible  in  building  up  the  Methodist  Church.  Deduct  this 
foreign  population  and  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  as  now  organ- 
ized has  an  accessible  English  speaking  population  of  only  27,397 
greater  than  that  of  the  Iowa  Conference.  In  case  the  boundary 
line  is  changed  as  proposed,  it  would  give  to  the  Iowa  Conference 
an  accessible  English  speaking  population  of  46,597  more  than  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  would  contain. 

The  strength  of  a  conference  is  rightly  measured  by  the 


78 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


strength  of  the  church  in  the  conference.  As  the  boundary  line 
now  exists,  the  Iowa  Conference  has  a  membership  of  32,557; 
the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  has  37,092.  If  the  boundary  line 
is  changed  as  petitioned  for,  the  Iowa  Conference  would  have 
36,192;  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  but  33,457. 

Again  one  of  the  conditions  by  which  the  strength  of  a  con- 
ference is  shown  is  the  number  of  large  cities  it  contains.  As  the 
conferences  are  now  organized,  the  Iowa  Conference  has  six  cities 
(Census  of  1900)  the  population  of  which  is  8,000  or  greater; 
the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  has  seven  cities  of  8,000  or  more.  But 
if  the  boundary  line  is  changed  as  proposed,  the  Iowa  Conference 
would  have  nine  of  these  large  cities.  This  would  leave  in  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  but  four  of  these  larger  cities,  less  than 
one  half  the  number  there  would  be  in  the  Iowa  Conference. 
Would  this  be  fair  or  just  to  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference? 

2.  Another  and  very  great  injustice  which  would  be  ac- 
complished by  the  proposed  change  of  boundary  is  the  injury 
to  the  great  educational  institutions  of  the  church.  As  shown  by 
the  statement  of  facts  filed  herewith,  the  Iowa  Conference  has  but 
one  school,  that  located  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  with  an  attend- 
ance of  480  students.  The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  has  two  col- 
leges and  one  seminary :  Cornell  College  at  Mount'Vernon,  with 
an  attendance  of  743,  the  Upper  Iowa  University  at  Fayette,  with 
413  students,  and  the  Epworth  Seminary  at  Epworth,  with  170 
students.  The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  has  so  cultivated  its  ter- 
ritory along  the  line  of  educational  work  that  it  supports  three 
schools  with  an  attendance  of  1326  students  in  comparison  with 
480  in  the  Iowa  Conference.  Now  if  the  proposed  change  of 
boundary  is  made,  the  Iowa  Conference,  for  the  support  of  its 
one  school,  woiild  have  an  accessible  English  speaking  population 
of  over  46,000  more  than  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  would  have 
to  support  its  three  schools.    Such  change  would  also  give  the 


BOUNDARIES 


79 


Iowa  Conference,  for  the  support  of  its  one  school  a  membership 
of  2,735  more  than  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  would  have  for 
the  support  of  its  three  schools.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  by 
the  proposed  change  the  new  boundary  line  would  run  within 
three  miles  of  Cornell  College,  tluis  giving  to  the  Iowa  Conference 
eighteen  charges  that  haxc  given  Cornell  a  large  patronage  and 
support,  which  would  inevitably  be  a  serious  blow  to  the  college. 

3.  The  individual  members  of  the  quarterly  conferences, 
the  official  boards,  and  the  officers  of  all  the  charges  within  the 
territory  in  controversy,  have  personally  signed  a  protest  and 
statement,  urging  that  they  be  allov/ed  to  remain  in  their  home 
conference  and  expressing  the  belief  that  tlie  interests  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  will  be  best  served  thereby.  Besides,  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  and  its  six  district  conferences  have 
formally  and  strongly  expressed  their  protest  against  this  change. 
Do  our  good  brethren  of  the  Iowa  Conference  think  it  will  be  of  any 
very  great  advantage  to  their  Conference  for  these  unwilling 
charges  to  be  placed  arbitrarily  in  their  territory? 

4.  If  this  controversy  was  being  made  in  any  court  of 
record,  the  petition  of  the  Iowa  Conference  would  be  promptly 
rejected.  Three  times  has  the  Iowa  Conference  brought  this  con- 
troversy before  the  General  Conference  and  each  time  after  full 
and  thorough  investigation  the  case  has  been  determined  in  favor 
of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  And  now  for  the  fourth  time,  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  is  compelled  to  spend  a  large  amount 
of  time  and  money  in  preparation  for  this  controversy,  and  for 
the  fourth  time  has  the  General  Conference  been  compelled  to 
spend  a  large  amount  of  valuable  time  in  hearing  and  deciding  the 
same  question,  based  upon  the  same  facts,  between  the  same 
parties.  Surely  this  woiild  not  be  permitted  in  any  court  of 
jvistice,  and  why  should  it  be  permitted  in  the  General  Conference? 

After  a  full  and  careful  hearing,  the  General  Conference, 


8o 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


through  its  Boundary  Committee,  for  the  fourth  time  decided  by 
a  vote  of  three  to  one  that  the  boundary  line  should  remain  as 
originally  determined  by  the  Iowa  Conference. 

To  the  above  history  it  may  be  added,  that  there  are  in  the 
Iowa  Conference  two  churches  whose  estimated  value  is  over 
$50,000.00.  In  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  there  are  four 
churches  estimated  above  $50,000.00  each,  three  of  which  are 
situated  within  the  territory  in  controversy.  If  the  change  of 
boundary  line  sought  for  should  be  made  and  these  three  large 
churches  be  transferred  from  the  Upper  Iowa  to  the  Iowa  Confer- 
ence, the  latter  Conference  would  boast  of  having  five  churches, 
each  of  whose  estimated  value  would  be  over  $50,000.00,  and  only 
one  such  church  would  remain  in  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  brief  history,  that  the  division 
line  was  originally  adopted  and  recommended  by  the  Iowa  Con- 
ference itself,  and  was  established  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1856.  Four  times,  the  General  Conference  by  a  decisive  vote,  viz., 
in  1872,  1880,  1900  and  1904,  has  re-affirmed  the  division  line  by 
refusing  to  grant  the  memorials  of  the  Iowa  Conference. 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  unanimously  protests  against 
said  change  in  the  boundary  line,  as  it  would  rob  the  Conference 
of  some  of  its  strongest  churches,  seriously  detract  from  the  sup- 
port of  Cornell  College,  disturb  and  retard  the  interests  of  the 
local  churches  without  any  corresponding  benefit  to  the  general 
church.  The  eighteen  charges  in  the  territory  involved  unani- 
mously and  strongly  desire  to  remain  in  the  Upper  Iowa  Confer- 
ence, with  which  they  have  been  united  in  the  associations  and 
fellowships  of  fifty  years.  Surely  such  relations  so  long  and  so 
happily  enjoyed,  should  not  and  will  not  be  ruthlessly  disturbed. 


MORAL  REFORM 


8i 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PATRIOTISM  AND  MORAL  REFORM 

1.  Patriotism 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  was  only  four  years  old,  the  peo- 
ple still  living  in  their  pioneer  cabins  with  farms  unpaid  for  and 
undeveloped,  congregations  still  worshiping  in  school  houses  and 
primitive  churches,  when  in  1861  the  country  was  plunged  into 
civil  war.  It  was  a  fearful  fratricidal  war  and  continued  four  long 
j'ears.  Iowa,  with  less  than  700,000  population  (less  than  one- 
third  of  its  population  to-day,  1906)  sent  over  80,000  soldiers  into 
the  field.  Business  was  well  nigh  paralyzed,  farms  were  worked 
and  conducted  largely  by  the  women,  schools  were  greatly  de- 
pleted and  in  some  cases  closed,  churches  were  torn  and  dis- 
tracted and  congregations  scattered. 

So  keenly  sensitive  was  the  public  mind,  that  in  some  places 
it  was  not  considered  safe  for  people  to  gather  in  large  crowds.  At 
Mount  Vernon,  on  commencement  day  of  1863,  a  woman  came 
upon  the  ground  wearing  a  "butternut  pin,"  a  badge  of  southern 
sympathy.  Another  young  woman  snatched  the  pin  and  a  woman 
fight  followed.  The  excitement  was  intense.  Exercises  were  sus- 
pended for  a  few  minutes  until  the  parties  were  separated  and  order 
restored. 

Amid  these  dLstracting  influences  the  burdens  upon  the  pas- 
tors were  greatly  increased.  Theirs  was  not  only  the  ordinary 
work  of  the  pastor,  but  in  the  anxieties  and  distresses  of  the 
war  they  were  called  upon  to  carry  cheer  and  hope  to  those  whose 
sons,  husbands  and  brothers  were  absent  in  the  army,  to  preach 
the  funeral  sermons  of  soldiers  slain,  to  comfort  bereaved  wives 
and  mothers,  to  wTite  letters  of  hope  and  cheer  to  the  brave  boys 


82 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


at  the  front,  to  address  and  encourage  newly  recruited  companies 
on  their  departure,  and  in  every  way  possible  to  support  the  state 
and  nation  in  the  awful  struggle  with  rebellion. 

When  Fort  Sumpter  fell  and  President  Lincoln  issued  his 
first  call  for  75,000  volunteers,  there  was  great  excitement.  There 
were  southern  sympathizers  in  almost  every  community  who  se- 
verely criticised  the  President  and  opposed  the  war.  To  stand 
boldly  for  the  Union  was  in  some  places  at  the  risk  of  life.  None 
were  more  bold  to  defend  the  government  than  the  Methodist 
preachers.  At  the  first  call  for  troops  a  recruiting  station  was 
opened  in  Dyersville,  Dubuque  County,  Iowa,  where  there  were 
numerous  southern  sympathizers.  A  crowd  of  men  assembled 
near  the  recruiting  station  and  the  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  called  on  for  a  speech.  After  paying  a  fitting 
tribute  to  the  flag  and  uttering  strong  words  in  support  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  his  call  for  troops,  he  said : 

"Gentlemen,  ours  is  a  righteous  cause,  and  should  I  go  to  the 
war  I  would  go  to  kill.  Every  time  I  lifted  the  rifle  to  my  eye, 
I  would  raise  a  silent  prayer  to  God  to  guide  the  ball  to  the  heart 
of  some  one  of  my  country's  foes,  and  to  have  mercy  on  his  soul." 

S.  A.  Lee  relates  this  experience:  "The  second  year  I  was 
on  the  Bellevue  work  I  recall  preaching  twenty-two  funeral  ser- 
mons of  soldiers,  also  in  participating  in  a  Fourth  of  July  celebra- 
tion in  one  end  of  the  town  while  a  disloyal  one  was  being  held  in 
the  other  end,  where  beer  flowed  freely  and  cheers  were  given 
for  Jeff  Davis.  Our  company  was  the  largest  and  contained  near- 
ly all  the  intelligent  and  well-behaved  people,  Dr.  A.  J.  Kynett, 
then  presiding  elder  of  Davenport  District,  being  one  of  our  ora- 
tors; also  Chaplain  Moxam  of  Illinois,  who  had  to  rest  on  crutches, 
was  just  recovering  from  wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  ShUoh. 
The  enthusiasm  of  the  occasion  was  wonderfully  increased  late  in 
the  day  by  hearing  that  General  Grant  had  taken  Vicksburg  the 


MORAL  REFORM 


83 


day  before.  We  bareh^  escaped  open  war  that  day  in  Bellevue, 
and  for  months  following,  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  (an 
organization  of  southern  sympathizers)  and  the  Loyal  Legion 
watched  each  other  night  and  day." 

The  preachers  suffered  financially  with  others  on  account  of 
the  war.  The  cost  of  living  was  greatly  advanced;  the  green- 
back dollar  in  which  their  salary  was  estimated  became  depre- 
ciated until  worth  only  forty  cents  in  gold,  and  the  aggregate  def- 
icit in  preachers'  salaries  for  a  single  3'ear  was  over  eighteen 
thousand  dollars. 

It  is  not  known  that  any  member  of  the  Conference  wavered 
in  his  devotion  to  the  flag.  The  people  were  so  intensely  loyal 
that  they  would  not  receive  the  Gospel  from  the  lips  of  any  one 
who  s}'Tnpathized  with  the  rebellion. 

At  its  session  in  1861,  the  first  year  of  the  war,  the  Con- 
ference unanimously  adopted  the  following: 

"Whereas  we,  as  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  have  been 
taught  from  our  childhood  to  regard  civil  government  as  a  great 
blessing,  and  our  support  of  it  our  solemn  duty,  therefore 

"Resolved,  that  we,  the  members  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  cherishing  the  most 
unwavering  loyalty  to  our  country,  her  constitution  and  laws,  do 
deeply  sympathize  with  His  Excellency,  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  his  constitutional  advisers,  together  with  the  com- 
manding generals  and  aU  subordinate  officers  and  men,  in  their 
effort  to  sustain  and  perpetuate  the  integrity  of  the  Union. 

"Resolved,  that  we  will  pray  in  our  closets,  our  families  and 
our  pulpits,  that  Almighty  God  may  vouchsafe  to  them  His  aid 
and  support  in  putting  down  this  most  unrighteous  rebellion. 

"Resolved,  that  we  will  aid  in  the  suppression  of  this  wicked 
rebellion  in  every  practicable  way  consistent  with  our  obliga- 


84 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


tions  as  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  in  the  event  the  extremity 
should  force  itself  ujDon  us,  even  to  the  use  of  fire-lock  and  steel." 

J.  G.  DiMMiTT,  Chairman. 
In  1863  the  Conference  adopted  the  following: 
"Resolved  further,  that  those  brethren  of  our  Conference 
who  have  jeopardized  their  lives  to  aid  by  personal  effort  in  the 
success  of  our  cause,  should  have  and  we  hereby  tender  them  our 
kindest  regards,  and  they  may  be  assured  that  we  will  not  only 
allow  them  a  name  among  us,  but  give  them  our  active  sjan- 
pathy  and  earnest  prayers." 

H.  W.  Reed,  Chairman. 

In  1866  the  following  was  also  unanimously  adopted: 

"As  the  fountain  of  political  corruption  is  in  the  primary  meet- 
ings of  the  people,  we  shovild  attend  caucuses  and  conventions 
and  insist  always  and  everywhere  that  every  department  of  the 
government  shall  be  filled  with  men  of  honesty,  of  private  and 
public  virtue  *****  believe  that  'Treason  should 
be  made  odious,'  that  all  men  irrespective  of  race  or  color  should 
be  'equal  before  the  law,'  that  loyalty  should  rule  the  nation,  and 
that  states  lately  in  rebellion  should  not  be  allowed  representation 
in  Congress,  without  the  guarantees  required  by  Congress." 

S.  N.  Fellow^s,  Chairman. 

It  is  interesting  and  proper  to  note  the  patriotic  loyalty  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  exhibited  in  an  "Address  of 
the  General  Conference  of  1864  to  President  Lincoln,"  as  follows: 
"To  His  Excellency,  Abraham  Lincoln, 

President  of  the  United  States. 

The  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
now  in  session  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  representing  nearly 
seven  thousand  ministers  and  nearly  a  million  of  members,  mind- 
ful of  their  duty  as  Christian  citizens,  takes  the  earliest  opportun- 
ity to  express  to  you  the  assurance  of  the  loyalty  of  the  church. 


MORAL  REFORM 


85 


her  earnest  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  countr}-,  and  her  sj-m- 
pathy  with  you  in  the  great  responsibilities  of  your  high  position 
in  this  trying  hour.  Ours  was  the  first  of  the  churches  to  express 
by  a  deputation  of  her  most  distinguished  ministers,  viz.,  Bishops 
Coke  and  Asbury,  the  promise  of  support  to  the  government  in 
the  da3^s  of  Washington.  In  this  present  struggle  for  the  nation's 
life,  many  thousands  of  her  members  have  rushed  to  arms  to  main- 
tain the  cause  of  God  and  humanity.  They  have  sealed  their  de- 
votion to  their  country  with  their  blood  on  every  battlefield  of 
this  terrible  war.  The  prayers  of  millions  of  Christians,  with  an 
earnestness  never  manifested  for  riilers  before,  daily  ascend  to 
lieaven,  that  j^ou  may  be  endued  with  all  needed  wisdom  and 
power.  Actuated  by  sentiments  of  loftiest  and  purest  patriot- 
ism, our  prayer  shall  be  continually  for  the  preservation  of  our 
country  undivided,  for  the  triumph  of  our  cause,  and  for  a  per- 
manent peace,  gained  by  the  sacrifice  of  no  moral  principles,  but 
founded  on  the  word  of  God,  and  securing  in  righteousness, 
liberty  and  equal  rights  to  all." 

Signed  in  behalf  of  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church, 

William  L.  Harris,  Secretary. 

President  Lincoln's  reply: 

"Gentlemen:  In  response  to  your  address  allow  me  to  at- 
test the  accuracy  of  its  historical  statements,  endorse  the  senti- 
ments it  expresses,  and  thank  you,  in  the  nation's  name,  for  the 
sure  promise  it  gives.  Nobly  sustained  as  the  government  has 
been  by  all  the  churches,  I  would  utter  nothing  which  might  in 
the  least  appear  invidious  to  any.  Yet  without  this,  it  ma}'-  fair- 
ly be  said  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  not  less  devoted 
than  the  best,  is,  by  its  greater  numbers  the  most  important  of  all. 
It  is  no  fault  in  others  that  the  Methodist  Church  sends  more  sol- 
diers to  the  field,  more  nurses  to  the  hospitals,  and  more  prayers 


86 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


to  heaven  than  any.  God  bless  the  Methodist  Church!  Bless 
all  the  churches !  and  blessed  be  God,  who  in  this  our  great  trial, 
giveth  us  the  churches." 

A.  Lincoln. 

2.  Slavery 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  has  from  the  beginning  main- 
tained an  advanced  position  on  all  questions  of  moral  reform. 
When  burning  issues  were  pending,  and  the  public  mind  was  un- 
settled, the  Conference  has  not  hesitated  to  express  its  convictions 
without  fear.  The  Conference  was  organized  in  the  midst  of  the 
great  anti-slavery  movement.  Political  parties  were  being  re- 
organized, the  north  and  the  south  were  being  arrayed  against 
eacii  other  and  mutterings  of  war  were  already  heard. 

At  its  first  session  in  1856  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  adopt- 
ed the  following:  "Resolved  1st,  That  slavery  is  opposed  to  the 
spirit  of  Christianity  and  the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel,  as  well 
as  an  aggravating  sin  against  God. 

"Resolved  2nd,  That  as  ministers  of  Christ  we  will  make 
every  reasonable  and  consistent  effort  to  maintain  a  healthy 
anti-slavery  sentiment  in  our  several  congregations,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  extension  of  slavery  in  our  country,  and  to  effect  the 
extirpation  of  this  great  evil." 

During  the  year  1856,  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
through  Chief  Justice  Taney,  rendered  a  decision  in  the  famous 
Dred  Scott  case,  in  which  the  court  declared  that,  "They  (the 
Africans)  had  for  more  than  a  century  before  been  regarded  as 
beings  of  an  inferior  order,  and  altogether  unfit  to  associate  with 
the  white  race,  either  in  social  or  political  relations,  and  so  far 
inferior  that  they  had  no  rights  which  the  white  man  is  bound  to 
respect." 

At  its  next  session,  in  1857,  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
adopted  the  following: 

"Resolved,  That  while  as  an  ecclesiastical  body  we  claim  no 


MORAL  REFORM 


87 


authorit}'  over  the  courts  of  our  land,  and,  that  while  we  inculcate 
respect  for  our  judicial  authorities,  yet  we  deeply  deplore  the 
recent  decision  made  by  a  majority  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court  in  the  Dred  Scott  case,  as  being  contrary  to  historical 
truth,  subversive  of  the  most  common  principles  of  justice,  de- 
structive of  natural  rights,  as  was  clearly  shown  by  Justices  McLean 
and  Curtis,  and  is  therefore  calculated  to  destroy  public  confidence 
in  that  high  tribunal. 

"Resolved,  That  we  look  with  mingled  sorrow  and  abhor- 
rence on  all  attempts,  by  whomsoever  made,  to  pervert  Scripture 
to  the  sanction  of  American  slavery." 

In  1858  the  Conference  adopted  the  following: 

"Resolved,  While  we  see  with  surprise  and  sorrow  the 
efforts  made  by  selfish  and  unprincipled  men  to  revive  the  slave 
trade,  we  do  believe  that  God  in  His  providence,  is  so  directing 
events  as  to  seciu-e  at  no  very  distant  day  the  overthrow  of  this 
deplorable  evil." 

Five  years  later,  on  Januar}^  1,  1863,  President  Lincoln 
issued  the  emancipation  proclamation  declaring  African  slavery 
in  the  United  States  to  be  abolished. 

3.  Temperance 

From  the  beginning,  the  Conference  has  taken  strong  position 
in  favor  of  total  abstinence  and  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic. 
Thus  in  1856  it  declared  intemperance  to  be  a  great  and  serious 
evil,  destructive  alike  of  social  happiness  and  religious  pros- 
perity, and  dangerous  to  our  civil  institutions; and  that  the  Con- 
ference would  labor  to  secure  a  prohibitory  law  that  would  ac- 
complish the  entire  overthrow  of  the  liquor  traffic. 

In  1859  it  resolved  that,  "We  will  use  our  influence  and 
our  votes  to  secure  the  election  of  members  of  the  Legislature, 
who  have  appetites  that  will  favor  and  backbone  that  will  enable 
them  to  enact  a  prohibitory  law  that  will  include  lager  beer." 


88 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Again  and  again  has  the  Conference  declared  in  favor  of 
using  only  unfermented  wine  at  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper,  organizing  young  people  into  temperance  societies,  co- 
operating with  all  temperance  organizations  in  carrying  on  this 
reform,  assisting  in  the  great  campaign  for  a  constitutional 
prohibitory  amendment,  adopting  as  our  own  the  motto  of  the 
General  Conference  of  1884,  viz.,  "Voluntary  total  abstinence 
from  all  intoxicants  as  the  true  ground  of  personal  temperance; 
and  complete  legal  prohibition  of  the  traffic  in  intoxicating 
liquors  as  the  duty  of  the  civil  government." 

In  1897  through  its  committee  on  temperance,  the  Confer- 
ence resolved,  "That  the  time  had  come  for  the  most  hearty  and 
united  work.  A  divided  attack  never  can  and  never  will  overcome 
a  united  defense.  The  liquor  interest  is  united  and  therein  is  its 
power.  Let  temperance  forces  be  equally  united  in  aim  and  effort 
and  victory  is  certain." 

While  the  Conference  is  broad  in  its  charity  and  fraternal  in 
its  spirit,  it  is  single  in  its  aim  and  uncompromising  in  its  princi- 
ples. It  proclaims  total  abstinence  by  the  individual  and  pro- 
hibition by  the  state. 

4.  The  Sabbath 
The  Sabbath  question  has  not  been  passed  by  in  silence. 
The  Conference  has  lifted  up  its  voice  in  clear,  concise  and  ringing 
utterances  in  vindication  of  God's  holy  day.  By  practice  and 
preaching,  the  Conference  has  sought  to  educate  the  people  against 
all  Sunday  excursion  trains,  ball  games,  picnics,  newspapers, 
visiting,  or  social  amusements  of  any  kind,  that  tend  to  cause 
neglect  of  keeping  holy  the  first  day  of  the  week. 

5.  Tobacco 

In  1857  the  Conference  passed  the  following  resolutions: 
"1.    That  this  Conference  is  opposed  to  the  use  of  to- 
bacco by  its  members. 


MORAL  REFORM 


89 


"2.  That  we  will  admit  no  man  into  our  Conference, 
either  on  probation  or  into  fiiU  connection,  who  is  in  the  habit- 
ual use  of  tobacco,  unless  he  wiU  promise  its  discontinuance." 

The  uncompromising  position  of  the  Conference  in  aU  its 
history  is,  that  no  man  is  fit  for  the  pastorate  in  any  charge  who 
uses  tobacco  in  any  form. 


90 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  IX. 


BENEVOLENCES   AND   THE  SUPERANNUATES 


1.  Benevolences. 


In  the  following  table  is  exhibited  the  aggregate  amount 
given  by  the  churches  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  during  a 
period  of  fifty  years,  for  ministerial  support,  the  erection  of 
churches  and  parsonages,  and  for  the  official  benevolences.  No 
attempt  is  made  to  estimate  the  donations  for  building  and  endow- 
ing colleges,  nor  the  sums  given  privately  for  church  work  in  home 
and  in  foreign  fields.  We  present  only  what  has  been  reported  an- 
nually by  the  pastors  to  the  Conference  and  published  in  the  Con- 
ference minutes.  The  average  membership  of  the  churches  dur- 
ing the  period  named  has  been  about  24,000.  It  should  not  be 
forgotten  that  these  members  in  the  beginning  were  immigrants 
in  a  new,  unsettled  and  undeveloped  state.  Most  of  them, 
though  poor,  were  compelled  to  build  and  pay  for  their  own  homes, 
develop  their  farms,  establish  industrial  plants,  pay  taxes  to 
county  and  state  for  building  court  and  school  houses  and  other 
public  improvements.  In  addition  to  all  this  they  voluntarily 
contributed  for  the  upbuilding  and  extension  of  Methodism  the 
sums  set  forth  in  the  table.  If  all  had  contributed  as  liberally  as 
some  have  done,  the  aggregate  would  have  been  doubled,  pos- 
sibly quadrupled. 

I.    Ministerial  Support, 


1.  For  Bishops   

2.  For  Presiding  Elders, 

3.  For  Pastors,   

4.  For  Superannuates, 


$  52,335.00 
404,288.00 

.  5,526,488.00 
126,381.00 


Total  for  Ministerial  Support,  $6,109,492.00 


BENEVOLENCES  9I 

II.    Churches  and  Parsonages,  etc., 

1.  Building  churches  and  parsonages .  .$2,377,416 .00 

2.  Church  debts,    229,026.00 

3.  Current  expenses,    739,026.00 


Total  13,345,468.00 

III.    Official  Benevolences, 

1.  Missions,  $597,253.00 

2.  Church  Extension,   72,582.00 

3.  Freedmen's  Aid  and  Southern  Education  77,736.00 

4.  Sunday  School  Union,   17,147.00 

5.  Tract,    14,644.00 

6.  Education,    119,794.00 

7.  Bible  cause,    30,259.00 

8.  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,..  137,639.00 

9.  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,   80,000.00 

10.  Other  coUections,    47,285.00 

11.  Domestic  Missions,    27,837.00 


Total,  $1,222,176.00 

SUIIAIARY. 

I.    Total  Ministerial  Support  $6,109,492.00 

II.    Total  Church  Building,  etc   3,345,468.00 

III.    Total  Official  Benevolences,    1,222,176.00 


Grand  Total,  $10,677,136.00 


2.  Superannuates 

A  superannuated  minister  is  one  who  by  reason  of  permanent- 
ly impaired  health  or  old  age  is  disabled  for,  and  therefore  dis- 
charged from  active  service  of  the  ministry,  but  who  still  retains 
his  membership  in  the  Conference.    Conference  claimants  are 


92 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


superannuated  ministers  who  have  given  the  strength  of  their 
lives  to  the  church,  not  to  make  money,  but  to  save  souls  and 
build  up  the  church,  and  are  in  financial  need  because  of  such 
service.  They  now  have  a  just  claim  upon  the  church  for  support, 
not  in  luxury  but  in  comfort 

The  Methodist  minister  has  little  chance  to  lay  up  mone3^  It 
requires  as  a  rule,  the  most  skillful  and  rigid  economy  to  dress 
suitably,  make  the  family  comfortable,  educate  the  children,  buy 
important  books  and  periodicals,  heed  the  calls  of  philanthropy 
even  in  a  small  way,  and  keep  out  of  debt  on  the  salaries  the 
churches  pay.  When  health  fails  or  old  age  calls  a  halt,  the  itin- 
erant's poverty  is  not  the  result  of  extravagance,  but  the  outcome 
of  a  life  consecrated  to  things  spiritual  rather  than  things 
temporal.  And  the  great  denomination  that  has  prospered  by 
his  consuming  zeal  should  hold  him  in  high  honor  and  never  per- 
mit him  to  want.  Indeed  it  would  be  basest  ingratitude  for  that 
body  which  has  profited  so  abundantly  from  the  labors  of  these 
loyal  men  of  God  to  let  them  come  to  want  when  the  years  weigh 
heavily  upon  them. 

Our  Board  of  Bishops  declared  that  "  No  church  can  command 
men  for  its  ministry  that  forgets  its  obligations  to  the  faithful 
servants  who  after  giving  to  it  the  best  of  their  years,  are  dis- 
charged from  active  duty  having,  because  of  the  very  fidelity  of 
their  service,  become  helpless  and  unfitted  for  self-support. " 

An  annual  collection  has  been  taken  in  the  churches  for  this 
worthy  class,  which  though  inadequate,  has  brought  great  relief. 
The  first  concerted  movement  in  this  caiise  was  made  in  the  organi- 
zation of  The  Mutual  Aid  Society.  The  object  of  this  society  was 
to  provide  for  needy  members  thereof,  and  especially  for  the  fami- 
lies of  deceased  members,  from  time  to  time  as  occasion  required. 
All  effective  members  of  the  Conference,  under  fifty  years  of  age, 
were  eligible  for  membership.    The  work  accomplished  by  this 


THE  SUPERANNUATES 


93 


society  is  briefly  presented  in  the  following  final  report  to  the 
conference : 

"The  Mutual  Aid  Society  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  begs 
leave  to  present  a  final  report. 

"This  society  was  organized  in  1862  and  incorporated  in  1863. 
In  the  year  1888  the  society  was  re-incorporated  and  arrange- 
ments made  to  secure  a  permanent  endowment  fund.  There  were 
thirty-three  deaths  in  the  society  during  the  thirty-eight  years  of  its 
history.  The  aggregate  amount  paid  to  families  of  deceased 
members  was  $22,305.34,  being  an  average  of  $675.92  to  each 
family. 

"The  assets  of  the  society,  October,  1900,  were  as  follows: 

Endowment    Fund   $7,600.00 

Reserve  Fund,    4,562.81 

"At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  society,  held  in  Osage,  Iowa, 
October  5,  1900,  after  due  notice  had  been  given  to  its  members,  it 
was  voted  by  a  nine-tenths  majority  to  dissolve  the  incorporation 
and  to  dispose  of  its  assets  as  follows,  viz., 

"1.  Divide  the  reserve  fund  of  $4,562.81  among  the 
present  members  pro  rata  according  to  amount  each  had  paid  into 
the  treasury,  and  six  per  cent  thereon  to  October,  1900. 

"2.  Assign  the  endowment  fund  of  $7,600.00  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  to  become  a  part 
of  the  Conference  Claimant  Fund,  provided  the  Conference  would 
itself  raise  $10,000 .00  for  said  claimant  fund. 

"The  Conference  having  complied  with  the  required  condi- 
tion, the  above  assignment  is  hereby  made. 

"It  is  believed  that  the  donors  of  this  endowment  fund  will 
be  pleased  to  know  that  said  endowment  was  sacredly  preserved 
and  transferred  to  the  Conference  Claimant  Fund,  where  in  years 
to  come,  and  in  a  wider  field  it  will  continue  its  beneficent  work. 

"We  are  pleased  to  report  that  the  Mutual  Aid  Society  closes 
its  affairs  with  the  assurance  that  it  has  successfully  carried  the 


94 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


insurance  of  its  members  for  thirty-eight  years;  that  it  has  paid 
every  dollar  of  its  indebtedness;  that  the  famihes  of  deceased 
members  have  received  $22,305.34;  that  a  fund  of  $7,600  has 
been  created  and  presented  to  the  Conference  Claimant  Fund, 
and  that  in  the  final  settlement  the  members  who  stood  by  and 
supported  the  society  to  the  end  received  forty  per  cent  of  the 
money  (not  including  interest)  they  had  paid  into  the  treasury. 
"  Respectfully  submitted  on  behalf  of  the  society, 

J.  T.  Crippen,  President. 
B.  D.  Alden,  Secretary, 
S.  N.  Fellows,  Treasurer, 

Commission. 

Marshalltown,  Iowa, 

September  24,  1902. 

As  the  number  of  conference  claimants  increased  more  rapidly 
than  the  annual  collections  for  them,  the  amount  paid  to  each 
claimant  necessarily  became  less.  And  as  the  cost  of  living  was 
also  constantly  increasing,  it  is  evident  that  the  needs  of  this 
worthy  class  were  becoming  greater  year  by  year.  Because  of  this 
there  was  a  growing  conviction  that  some  concerted  action  to  re- 
lieve them  should  be  taken  by  the  entire  Conference.  Accordingly 
the  Twentieth  Century  Commission  of  the  Conference  at  its  session 
held  in  Waterloo,  December  19,  1899,  adopted  the  following: 

"  Resolved,  that  a  committee  be  appointed  by  this  Commission 
of  one  member  from  each  presiding  elder's  district  to  raise  $10,000 
as  a  permanent  fund  for  the  superannuates  of  this  Conference. " 

The  succeeding  conference  of  1900  voted  to  approve  the  move- 
ment and  requested  the  Bishop  to  appoint  S.  N.  Fellows,  Agent  for 
the  Conference  Claimant  Fund.  Various  methods  were  devised 
and  used  to  raise  this  fund. 

The  effective  members  of  the  Conference  were  requested  to 
give  notes  agreeing  to  pay  one  per  cent  of  their  salaries,  exclusive 


THE  SUPERANNUATES 


95 


of  house  rent,  for  three  consecutive  years.  Over  eighty  per  cent 
of  the  pastors  responded  to  this  request. 

Collections  were  taken  in  the  churches,  and  larger  sums  in 
cash  and  notes  were  secured  from  laymen. 

Provision  was  made  to  secure  bequests  for  this  fund,  according 
to  the  following 

Form  of  Bequest. 

"I  give,  devise  and  bequeath  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Ch\irch,  the 
sum  of   dollars." 

All  money  or  property  thus  devised  to  said  Board  of  Trustees 
becomes  a  part  of  the  permanent  "Claimant  Fund, "  the  interest 
of  which  is  annually  distributed  among  the  conference  claimants. 

Also  in  the  form  of 

Annuities. 

The  Conference  Board  of  Trustees  wiU  receive  money  for  this 
fund  and  pay  annually  to  the  donors,  the  following  annuity  or  in- 
terest: To  those  fifty  years  of  age  five  per  cent,  to  those  sixty 
years  of  age  six  per  cent,  to  those  seventy  years  of  age,  seven  per 
cent,  and  to  those  eighty  years  of  age  eight  per  cent,  and  guaran- 
tee said  annuity  during  their  natural  lives.  On  this  annuity,  the 
annuitant  pays  no  tax. 

It  was  also  provided  to  receive  non-interest  bearing  notes 
payable  at  the  death  of  the  maker  of  the  note. 

Arrangement  was  made  by  which  money  given  in  any  of  the 
above  forms  might  constitute 

A    Memorial  Fund. 

A  donation  or  bequest  of  $1,000.00  or  more,  may  constitute 
a  "Memorial  Fund,"  bearing  any  name  designated  by  the  donor. 
The  interest  or  income  of  each  memorial  fund  will  be  annually 


96 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


paid  and  reported  to  the  Conference  Board  of  Stewards  for  pub- 
lication in  the  Conference  minutes. 

The  aggregate  amount  raised  by  the  above  methods  for  the 
Conference  Claimant  Fund  is  nearly  $40,000.00.  Over  one- 
half  of  this  sum  is  productive. 


ORGANIZATIONS 


97 


CHAPTER  X. 

ORGAXIZATIOXS  OF  THE  CHUECH 

1.  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

This  society  was  first  organized  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in 
1869,  and  branches  were  soon  established  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States.  The  St.  Louis  branch  was  organized  early  in  1870. 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  Miss  Isabel  Leonard  presented  this 
cause  before  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  at  its  annual  session. 
The  members  of  the  Conference  recognized  the  importance  and 
imperative  need  of  the  work  thus  undertaken  by  the  women,  and 
adopted  resolutions  commending  the  society  to  the  sympathy  of 
the  church.  Since  that  time  the  work  has  gone  steadily  forward 
in  the  bounds  of  the  Conference. 

For  several  years,  the  affairs  of  the  society  were  managed 
by  an  assistant  secretary  for  each  state  within  the  branch.  In 
1874  conference  secretaries  were  first  appointed.  The  following 
have  been  the  conference  secretaries  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference: 
Mrs.  Dr.  Wetmore,  Miss  Mary  Spearman,  Mrs.  Dr.  M.  W.  Porter, 
Mrs.  Frances  Earhart,  Mrs.  E.  P.  Fritz,  Miss  Janet  Barnes,  and 
Mrs.  Alice  Fellows  Rigby. 

The  society  owes  much  to  the  zealous  labors  of  these  faith- 
ful officers.  A  thorough  organization  of  the  districts  was  effected 
in  1891  by  the  personal  efforts  of  the  president  of  the  Branch, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Pearson.  This  strengthened  and  extended  the 
influence  of  the  society. 

This  year,  1906,  there  are  within  the  Conference  more  than 
143  organizations,  including  auxiliaries,  Standard  Bearers  and 
King's  Heralds,  with  a  total  membership  of  nearly  4,000,  and 
the  money  raised  during  the  present  year  reached  the  sum  of 


98 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


$12,127 . 71.  In  the  past  twenty-two  years  the  total  amount  given 
to  missions  by  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  in  the 
Conference  is  $137,639.39. 

Among  the  larger  givers  in  this  society  may  be  named  the 
following: 

Mrs.  Cornelia  A.  Miller,  who  became  the  first  life  patron  by 
the  payment  of  $300 .00;  Miss  Mary  Spearman,  who  left  $800 .00  in 
her  will;  Mrs.  J.  H.  Stevens,  who  besides  other  munificent  dona- 
tions gave  $1600.00  to  Miss  Lydia  Trimble  for  her  work  in  Hai 
Tang,  China;  and  Mrs.  EUa  C.  Phillips  of  Toledo,  who  for  many 
years  has  given  annually  $150.00. 

Far  more  precious  than  silver  and  gold  has  been  the  offering 
of  consecrated  womanhood  to  this  cause.  The  roll  of  mis- 
sionaries who  have  gone  from  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  is  led 
by  that  noble  worker  whose  praise  is  in  all  the  churches,  Mrs. 
Mary  Porter  Gamewell  of  Pekin,  China.  She  has  been  followed 
by  Mrs.  Ruth  Collins  Thoburn  of  India,  Miss  Nell  Dan- 
iels of  Japan,  Miss  Luella  Rigby  of  Burma,  Miss  Rose  M.  Pyne, 
late  of  Cawnpore,  India,  Miss  Joanna  Davis  of  Bombay,  India, 
and  Miss  Mildred  Simonds  of  Vikasabad,  India. 

Each  year's  experience  serves  only  to  widen  the  knowledge 
of  the  work,  arouse  interest,  and  deepen  zeal  for  this  form  of  Christ- 
ian service. 

2.   The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society. 

This  society  was  organized  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1880.  Its 
field  of  operations,  as  designed  by  its  founders,  was  to  be  among 
our  people  in  the  south,  on  our  western  frontier,  among  the  crowd- 
ed populations  in  the  great  cities,  and  especially  among  Mormons 
and  Roman  Catholics.  The  work  of  the  general  society  has  en- 
larged in  scope  as  the  great  needs  of  the  field  have  appeared.  In 
the  twenty-six  years  of  its  existence,  it  has  accumulated  nearly 


ORGANIZATION'S 


99 


one  million  dollars  in  property,  consisting  of  industrial  homes  and 
schools  for  girls,  children's  homes,  training  schools  for  deacon- 
esses and  deaconess  homes. 

The  Woman's  Home  Missionan,-  Society  of  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference  was  organized  in  Cedar  Rapids  at  the  conference 
session  held  September  23,  1SS2. 

Its  presidents  from  the  beginning  have  been  Mesdames 
Brush,  Crippen,  Manwell,  Eighmey,  Carhart,  Xellie  S.  Brush, 
Gould,  and  Pratt.  The  recording  secretaries  have  been  Mes- 
dames  Van  Xess,  Porter,  Brush,  Yoran,  Bull,  Springer,  Peck, 
Rule,  Holbrook,  Chambers  and  Cannon. 

Mrs.  Charles  F.  Springer  ser\'ed  as  corresponding  secret arj^ 
vmtU  1S90.  She  was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Alspaugh  who 
has  served  since  that  date. 

Mrs.  J.  G.  Yan  Xess  was  elected  treasurer  in  1SS4  and  still 
holds  that  oflBce. 

The  society  has  contributed  funds  for  industrial  homes  and 
schools  for  girls,  for  moimtain  whites  in  the  south,  for  frontier 
work,  for  work  among  Spanish  Americans  and  orientals  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  for  orphanages,  for  work  among  the  Indians,  for 
work  in  Alaska,  for  deaconess  work,  for  Japanese  women  in 
Hawaii,  and  for  work  in  Porto  Rico. 

In  our  own  Conference  the  society  has  aided  in  supporting 
work  among  the  Bohemians,  and  has  recently  pledged  to  aid 
evangelistic  work  among  the  deaf  mutes  within  the  conference. 

The  society  now  has  108  organizations,  including  auxiliaries, 
Queen  Esther  Circles,  Home  Guards,  Mothers  Jewels  Bands,  and 
a  total  membership  of  3,010.  Since  the  beginning,  the  society 
has  collected  in  cash  and  supplies,  S80,000 .00.  The  supplies  were 
sent  to  needy  ministers  on  the  frontier,  and  in  the  south,  and  to 
the  industrial  schools  and  deaconess  homes. 


lOO 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


3.  The  Epworth  League. 

The  Epworth  League  is  the  young  people's  society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It  was  organized  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  1889,  by  the  union  of  five  societies.  Its  motto  is  "Look 
up;  lift  up. "  It  adopted  as  a  sentiment  of  the  league,  a  sentence 
from  John  Wesley:  "I  desire  to  form  a  league,  offensive  and  de- 
fensive, with  every  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ, "  also  this  from  Bishop 
Matthew  Simpson:  "We  live  to  make  our  own  church  a  power  in 
the  land,  while  we  live  to  love  every  other  church  that  exalts  our 
Christ."  The  founders  of  the  league  believed  that  greater  good 
can  be  accomplished  when  the  young  people  of  each  denomination 
are  organized  into  a  society  of  their  own,  this  society  being  an 
organic  part  of  the  denomination  itself,  and  that  the  cause  of 
religion  can  be  more  effectively  promoted  by  each  chiu-ch  working 
in  its  own  sphere  and  with  its  own  machinery.  The  attitude  of 
the  league  towards  all  other  young  people's  societies  is  one  of 
cordial  fraternity  and  practical  co-operation.  It  is  believed  that 
loyalty  to  one's  own  church  need  not  and  does  not  detract  sym- 
pathy from  sincere  workers  in  aU  other  churches. 

The  Epworth  League  thus  organized  was  cordially  and 
enthusiastically  welcomed  by  the  entire  church.  The  bishops 
unanimously  bade  it  "God-speed."  College  authorities  gladly 
gave  it  endorsement.  Presiding  elders  heartUy  welcomed  it. 
The  editors  of  our  church  papers  gave  it  encouragement  and  in- 
spiration. Pastors  gave  their  prayers  and  enthusiastic  advocacy 
to  the  plans  and  work  of  the  league.  '-  From  the  beginning,  the 
league  enjoyed 'a" most  rapid  growth.'^^;^  Within  four  years  it  re- 
ported ten  thousand  senior  chapters,  two  thousand  junior  chapters 
and  a  total  membership  of  over  six  hundred  thousand. 

In  1890  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  adopted  resolutions 
recognizing  the  Epworth  League  as  one  of  the  most  important 
organizations  of  Methodism,  believing  that  a  society  controlled 


ORGANIZATIONS 


lOI 


by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  the  best  for  our  own  j'oung 
people,  and  pledging  help  in  organizing  chapters,  increasing  the 
enrollment  of  members,  and  adding  to  the  efficiency  of  its  work 
in  all  our  charges. 

The  Epworth  Herald  is  the  official  organ  of  the  Epworth 
League.  This  paper  has  had  a  phenomenal  growi;h  in  the  list  of 
subscribers,  having  secured  over  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
thousand. 

Mission  study  classes  and  Bible  study  classes  have  been  formed 
in  many  of  the  chapters,  and  the  personal  ideal  before  the 
members  is  "the  highest  type  of  a  New  Testament  experience." 

District  conventions  are  held  annually  which  serve  to  widen 
the  knowledge,  quicken  the  interest  and  intensify  the  zeal  of  the 
yoimg  people.  Chapters  are  organized  in  nearly  all  of  the  charges 
of  the  conference,  and  the  league  enjoys  the  increasing  confidence 
of  pastors  and  churches.  Its  special  mission  is  to  secure  the 
salvation  and  training  for  service  of  the  young  men  and  the  young 
women  of  Methodism. 


I02 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  XI. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

In  this  chapter  are  the  biographical  sketches  of  some  of  the 
representative  men,  both  ministers  and  laymen,  who  have  been 
foremost  in  planting  and  building  Methodism  in  this  beautiful  state. 
In  the  ministry  we  have  had  many  of  the  truest  type  of  Metho- 
dist itinerants,  worthy  successors  of  Asbury  and  his  co-laborers 
in  the  early  days  of  American  Methodism.  Among  the  laity  there 
have  been  multitudes  of  men  and  women  of  spirituality  and  self- 
sacrificing  devotion,  who  gave  the  preachers  a  most  hearty  wel- 
come to  their  cabin  homes,  shared  with  them  a  most  generous 
hospitality,  and  like  Aaron  and  Hur  upheld  the  hands  of  God's 
servants  as  they  toiled  and  preached  and  prayed.  It  is  believed 
that  generations  to  come  will  desire  to  know  more  of  the  lives  of 
the  leaders  in  the  work  of  founding  and  building  the  church  and 
conference. 

Realizing  the  importance  of  making  a  wise  selection,  the 
writer  requested  six  of  the  older  members  of  the  Conference  to 
assist  in  the  delicate  task.  The  limits  of  this  volume  do  not  per- 
mit us  to  write  of  many  others  whom  we  knew  and  loved,  "of 
whom  the  world  was  not  worthy;"  many  of  whom  traveled  large 
circuits  with  small  pay  and  severe  hardships,  but  possessing  great 
courage  and  a  dauntless  faith  they  won  many  souls  for  Jesus 
Christ. 

1.  Ministers 
John  C.  Ayres. 
John  C.  Ayres  was  born  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1804,  converted  in  1823  and  admitted  to  the  Pittsburg  Confer- 
ence in  1827.    His  relation  as  an  effective  Methodist  minister, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


fii'st  in  Pittsburg,  then  in  the  Erie  Conference  from  its  organi- 
zation, then  in  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1854,  and  then  in  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  from  its  organization,  continued  undisturbed 
for  thirty-nine  years.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence in  1840,  1848  and  in  1860.  The  work  of  his  life  was  largely 
pioneer  work,  commencing  in  the  Pittsburg  Conference  in  the 
earlier  development  of  the  work  there.  He  participated  in  the 
organization  of  two  conferences,  and  removed  after  his  super- 
annuation to  Bristow,  Kansas.  His  ministry  was  marked  by 
gracious  revivals.  One  of  the  most  noted  revivals  in  the  history 
of  Cornell  College  was  during  his  pastorate  at  Mount  Ver- 
non in  1854-55.  From  1855-59  he  served  as  presiding  elder  of 
Davenport  District,  and  from  1859-63  as  presiding  elder  of  Vinton 
District. 

During  the  first  twelve  years  of  the  Conference,  from  1856 
to  1868,  Ayres  was  the  ecclesiastic  lawyer  of  the  Conference.  To 
him  the  book  of  Discipline  was  next  to  the  Bible.  None  knew  the 
Discipline  better  than  he  and  none  obeyed  it  more  implicitly. 
The  steadfastness  and  singleness  of  purpose  which  the  apostle  in- 
dicated when  he  said,  "This  one  thing  I  do, "  was  one  of  his  marked 
characteristics.  Possessed  of  a  wonderful  memory,  his  store  of 
information  was  large  and  varied.  His  faith  in  God  was  the  im- 
plicit faith  of  a  little  child,  and  he  constantly  grew  in  favor  with 
God  and  man. 

In  1868  he  requested  to  be  placed  on  the  superannuate  list, 
and  the  Conference  adopted  the  following  resolution : 

"  Resolved  that  the  request  of  Brother  J.  C.  Ayres  for  a  super- 
annuate relation  be  granted,  and  that  we  hold  in  grateful  remem- 
brance his  long  continued  and  undivided  and  valuable  service, 
and  assure  him  of  our  most  cordial  sympathy,  and  earnest  prayers 
that  the  Lord  whom  he  serves  will  abundantly  sustain  and  com- 
fort him  and  grant  him  restored  health  that  he  may  again  be 
identified  with  us  in  the  effective  work  of  the  ministry.  " 


I04  UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 

After  residing  as  a  superannuate  for  nine  years  in  Kansas, 
he  returned  to  visit  this  Conference  in  1876,  at  its  session  in  Maquo- 
keta.  On  entering  the  church  at  Maquoketa  he  b\irst  into  tears 
and  exclaimed  "For  nine  years  I  have  preached  in  the  'dug-outs' 
of  Kansas,  and  have  not  been  permitted  to  enter  a  church  until 
this  morning. "  For  over  ten  years  he  was  totally  blind,  and  yet 
he  retained  his  mental  faculties  in  full  vigor  to  the  last.  In  the 
last  years  of  his  life,  when  his  strength  would  permit,  the  people 
waited  on  his  ministry  with  gladness  and  profit,  and  the  annoimce- 
ment  that  the  blind  old  man  would  preach  would  gather  a  con- 
gregation from  far  and  near.  His  last  illness  was  painful  but 
brief  and  his  triumph  in  the  final  struggle  unquestionable.  It  is 
believed  that  at  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Bristow,  Kansas, 
July  13,  1899,  he  was  the  oldest  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  being  in  his  ninety-sixth  year  of  age. 

William  Forney  Barclay,  D.  D. 

For  thirty  years  Dr.  Barclay  was  an  active  and  useful  member 
of  the  Conference.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  grew  to  youth  and  man- 
hood in  Cedar  County,  Iowa,  graduated  from  Cornell  CoUege  in 
1874  and  was  admitted  into  the  Conference  the  same  year.  He 
was  a  faithful  preacher,  a  helpful  pastor,  and  a  successful  evangel- 
ist. He  loved  to  preach  the  Word  and  his  highest  joy  was  found 
in  leading  men  to  the  Savior  whom  he  loved.  To  whatever  church 
he  was  appointed  he  went  with  the  zeal  of  a  true  evangelist. 
Without  neglecting  the  other  interests  of  the  church  he  made  the 
evangelistic  work  the  supreme  thing.  He  had  a  rich  religious 
experience.  His  heart  answered  to  the  truth,  and  the  truth 
gave  him  the  freedom  of  a  son  of  God. 

His  greatest  success  so  far  as  men  can  judge  was  in  his  pastor- 
ate at  Mason  City.  Soon  after  his  going  there  a  revival  began 
and  continued  for  thirteen  weeks.    Night  after  night  for  all  those 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


weeks  he  worked  on,  though  every  one  thought  his  strength  must 
yield  to  the  strain.  From  this  series  of  meetings  he  received  into 
the  church  over  three  hundred  members,  many  of  them  the  most 
promising  business  men  of  that  vigorous  city.  Then  came  the 
task  of  building  the  splendid  edifice  that  will  long  stand  as  a 
monument  to  the  zeal  and  leadership  of  W.  F.  Barclay. 

After  serving  many  of  the  leading  charges  of  the  Conference 
for  twenty-seven  years,  he  became  conference  evangelist  and  for 
three  years  did  excellent  work  and  was  employed  all  the  time. 

The  first  sermon  and  the  last  sermon  that  he  preached  were 
at  MechanicsvUle. 

During  his  last  brief  illness  he  was  almost  constantly  preaching 
and  praying  and  exliorting  men  to  come  to  the  Savior.  The  ruling 
passion  was  strong  in  death. 

He  died  December  3,  1904,  at  his  home  in  Cedar  Rapids. 
George  B.  Bowman,  D.  D. 

George  B.  Bowman  was  born  May  1,  1812,  in  North  Carolina, 
began  his  ministry  in  Missouri  in  1834  and  was  transferred  from 
the  Missouri  Conference  and  stationed  at  Iowa  City  in  1841.  Here 
he  labored  two  years  in  the  young  capital  city  and  built  an  excel- 
lent church.  Then  he  was  appointed  to  Dubuque  for  two  years. 
From  1845  to  1847,  he  was  presiding  elder  of  Bloomington  (Mus- 
catine) District,  and  from  1847  to  1851  presiding  elder  of  Dubuque 
District.  In  1851  he  was  appointed  pastor  at  Linn  Grove  Cir- 
cuit, which  included  the  present  site  of  Mount  Vernon.  He  was 
a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  in  1848. 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  he  formed  his  plans  for  building  an 
institution  of  learning  at  Mount  Vernon.  The  movement  was 
publicly  inaug\irated  July  4,  of  that  year.  A  site  was  secured , 
a  building  begun,  and  the  institution  was  presented  to  and  ac- 
cepted by  the  Iowa  Conference  at  its  session  in  Burlington, 


io6 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


September  30,  1852.  The  building  was  completed  and  the  school 
formally  opened  November  14,  1853. 

In  1855  the  Board  of  Trustees  declared  of  him,  "He  has  se- 
cured donations  and  made  all  the  purchases  of  real  estate  and 
building  material,  made  all  contracts  with  the  workmen,  super- 
intended the  erection  of  the  buildings,  collected  all  the  funds  and 
paid  all  demands  in  person,  from  the  commencement  to  the  com- 
pletion of  the  buildings. "  In  1858,  when  Dr.  Bowman  was  com- 
pelled through  ill  health  to  resign  the  agency  of  the  college,  he  re- 
ports the  total  value  of  resources  of  the  college  above  indebted- 
ness at  $98,000.00. 

In  accepting  his  resignation,  the  trustees  expressed  "their 
profound  gratitude  for  his  untiring  industry  and  disinterested 
devotion  to  the  upbuilding  of  Cornell  College,  and  declared  that 
he  would  be  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  the  friends  of  the 
school  as  long  as  the  records  of  Cornell  College  shall  endure.  " 

Dr.  George  B.  Bowman  was  a  born  leader  of  men.  Without 
the  culture  of  the  schools,  he  was  yet  possessed  of  wide  information, 
broad  sympathies  and  magnetic  personality.  He  was  a  man  of 
profound  convictions,  unconquerable  purpose,  and  strong 
imperious  will.  He  knew  men  and  was  a  man  of  affairs.  He 
knew  Jesus  Christ  and  was  well  versed  in  the  Bible.  He  was  a 
tireless  worker — he  brought  things  to  pass.  Difficulties  only 
stimulated  him  to  greater  effort.  Defeat  to  him  meant  subse- 
quent victory.  Such  was  George  B.  Bowman  who  well  deserves 
to  be  called  the  Father  and  Founder  of  Cornell  College. 

He  was  transferred  to  California  in  1867  and  died  in  San  Jose, 
in  1888. 

John  Bowman,  D.  D. 
In  1862  after  twenty-two  years  of  service  in  the  Genesee 
Conference,  John  Bowman  was  transferred  to  the  Upper  Iowa 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


Conference.  He  had  filled  some  of  the  best  charges  in  his  old  con- 
ference, in  all  of  which  many  souls  were  converted  and  large 
accessions  made  to  the  church.  He  at  once  took  high  rank  in  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference,  and  after  serving  full  terms  at  Cedar 
Falls,  Waterloo  and  Iowa  City,  he  was  two  terms  presiding  elder 
on  the  Fayette  and  Cedar  Falls  Districts.  One  of  the  largest 
revivals  in  the  history  of  Iowa  City  was  during  his  pastorate. 
In  1872  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference. 

He  was  superannuated  in  1887  and  died  in  1903  at  his  home 
in  Cedar  Falls. 

Dr.  Bowman  possessed  a  noble  physical  form,  a  warm  and 
generous  heart  and  a  mind  weU  stored  with  useful  knowledge. 
He  was  always  a  genial,  affable  Christian  gentleman.  He  under- 
stood and  loved  the  doctrines  of  his  church,  and  wa^  both  willing 
and  able  to  defend  them  against  the  assaults  of  any  opponent  as 
occasion  required.  He  made  it  a  rule  not  to  challenge  to  public 
debate  on  disputed  doctrinal  matters,  but  being  challenged  in  the 
matter  of  design,  mode  and  subjects  of  baptism  and  other  theo- 
logical questions,  he  engaged,  according  to  his  own  account,  in 
not  less  than  eighteen  public  oral  discussions. 

Y/hile  fraternal  to  all  other  Christian  churches,  he  v\-as  \^-ith- 
out  affectation  devotedly  in  love  with  his  own  church. 

His  great  energy  of  character,  untiring  perseverance,  pleasing 
address,  fine  conversational  powers,  and  a  voice  of  great  oratorical 
melody  and  compass,  rendered  him  exceedingly  popular  as  a 
preacher  and  b}^  Divine  blessing,  made  him  eminently  useful  in 
the  church. 

As  a  superannuated  and  retired  minister,  he  was  a  model  in 
his  local  church  home;  until  at  last,  full  of  years,  respected,  honor- 
ed, and  loved,  he  was,  as  a  sheaf  fully  ripe,  gathered  into  the 
garner  of  his  Lord. 


io8 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


George  W.  Brindell. 
George  W.  Brindell  was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1831,  received 
into  the  Philadelphia  Conference  in  1850,  and  transferred  to  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  1857.  He  was  for  many  years  one  of 
the  most  useful  and  successful  members  of  the  conference.  His 
appointments  were  Maquoketa,  Clinton,  Lyons,  Dubuque,  Vin- 
ton, Grace  Church  Waterloo,  Fayette,  Osage,  Manchester,  Iowa 
City,  Toledo,  Anam^osa,  Shell  Rock  and  Eldora.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  General  Conference  of  1888. 

Intellectually  he  was  but  an  average  preacher;  and  yet  such 
was  his  heart  power  that  he  held  excellent  congregations.  He 
laid  especial  emphasis  upon  the  doctrine  and  experience  of  holi- 
ness. He  excelled  as  a  leader  of  social  meetings.  His  emotions 
were  easily  stirred  and  his  preaching  and  exhortations  were,  under 
the  blessing  of  God,  fruitful  of  blessed  results.  His  health  was 
always  delicate,  and  yet  was  sufficient  for  the  ordinary  duties  of 
the  pastorate.  To  the  last,  even  in  waning  health,  he  continued 
to  work  up  to  the  full  measure  of  his  strength.  On  the  last  Sab- 
bath of  his  life  he  was  in  his  pulpit  and  read  the  hymns  but  did 
not  preach,  intending  to  preach  in  the  evening.  Evening  came 
and  he  was  not  able  to  do  so.  The  following  Wednesday  he  was 
worse,  and  selected  as  the  text  for  his  funeral,  "For  ye  are  dead 
and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. "  About  ten  o'clock  he 
repeated  these  lines: 

"Happy  if  with  my  latest  breath 

I  may  but  gasp  His  name, " 
and  a  little  past  noon,  April  14,  1897,  his  spirit  ascended  to  be 
forever  with  the  Lord. 

Harvey  S.  Bronson. 
H.  S.  Bronson  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  converted  in  Illinois  and 
received  into  the  Rock  River  Conference  in  1842.    After  preach- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


109 


ing  several  years  in  that  conference  he  served  two  years  as  mis- 
sionary to  the  Indians  on  Lake  Winnebago.  In  1850  he  came  to 
Iowa  and  settled  in  Fayette  County.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
members  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  and  at  its  first  session  was 
appointed  presiding  elder  of  Upper  Iowa  District. 

He  was  a  leader  in  the  founding  of  Upper  Iowa  University 
and  was  for  many  years  president  of  its  board  of  trustees. 

In  1861  he  located  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Fayette.  He 
was  active  in  all  public  affairs,  filled  many  local  offices  and  served 
one  term  in  the  state  Senate. 

H.  S.  Bronson  was  one  of  the  most  widely  known  men  in  the 
region  and  held  the  esteem  and  love  of  all.  During  the  later 
years  he  was  accustomed  to  preach  on  his  anniversary  in  the 
church  at  Fayette.  His  mental  facidties  were  apparently  un- 
diminished up  to  the  last.  He  died  December  2,  1905,  in  the 
ninety-second  year  of  his  age,  honored,  loved  and  revered  by  all 
who  knew  him. 

William  Brush,  D.  D. 
For  fifteen  years  Dr.  Brush  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the  Con- 
ference. For  nine  years  he  was  president  of  the  Upper  Iowa 
University  and  for  four  years  presiding  elder  of  Charles  City  Dis- 
trict. He  was  a  member  of  five  sessions  of  the  General  Conference, 
namely,  1868, 1872,  1S76, 1880  and  1888.  Of  the  forty-four  years  of 
his  ministry,  thirteen  were  spent  in  the  pastorate,  eleven  as  pre- 
siding elder,  eighteen  as  college  president,  one  as  United  States 
Consul  at  Messina,  Italy,  and  one  year  with  broken  health  waiting 
his  discharge. 

Dr  Brush  was  a  man  of  great  power.  He  was  quick  and  clear 
in  his  intellectual  perceptions,  accurate  in  his  statements  and 
logical  in  his  conclusions,  broad  and  generous  in  his  sympathies, 
magnetic  in  temperament,  his  language  simple  yet  cultured  and 
elegant,  his  appeals  intensely  earnest  and  spiritual ;  he  was  indeed 


no 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


a  power  in  the  piilpit,  his  eloquence  at  times  rising  to  heights  that 
seemed  to  sweep  everything  before  it.  As  a  debater,  he  was  clear, 
forceful  and  courageous,  fearing  not  to  face  any  antagonist. 
His  magnificent  voice  and  splendid  physique  secured  complete  at- 
tention in  any  a^iscnibly  however  large  or  excited.  As  a  pastor 
he  was  faithful  and  industrious,  his  friendships  were  sincere  and 
unvarying  and  the  humblest  man  could  approach  him  as  readily 
as  the  most  distinguished. 

He  died  April  29,  1895. 

J.  B.  Casebeer,  D.  D. 

J.  B.  Casebeer  was  received  on  trial  into  the  Iowa  Conference 
in  1859  and  was  transferred  to  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  1864. 
He  was  Captain  of  Company  D,  Twenty-fourth  Iowa  Infantry 
during  the  years  1862  to  1864,  and  shared  in  the  hardships  and 
privations  of  that  heroic  band  until,  wounded  by  the  explosion 
of  a  shell,  he  was  compelled  to  resign. 

From  1864  to  1888  he  served  some  of  the  leading  charges  of 
the  Conference.  He  was  a  faithful  soldier  of  the  cross,  as  he  had 
been  a  faithful  soldier  in  the  service  of  his  country.  As  a  min- 
ister he  excelled  in  revival  work,  and  great  numbers  were  con- 
verted and  brought  into  the  church  through  his  efficient  labors. 
As  a  preacher  he  was  sound  in  doctrine,  persuasive  in  manner, 
earnest  in  spirit,  delivering  his  message  from  a  warm  heart  of  deep 
sympathy  and  Christian  love.  He  possessed  rare  genius  in  con- 
ducting the  social  services  of  the  church,  and  manifested  great 
power  in  the  field  of  evangelistic  effort.  As  a  platform  speaker 
he  was  bright  and  entertaining,  and  in  demand  for  public  addresses 
in  the  temperance  reform  and  at  the  gatherings  of  grand  army 
men.  His  continued  years  of  labor  in  the  ministry  in  connection 
with  the  wounds  received  while  in  the  army,  finally  shattered  his 
once  vigorous  and  strong  constitution. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


III 


Though  unable  to  converse  during  his  last  illness,  his  friends 
have  the  assurance  that  the  Savior  whom  he  had  so  long  and  so 
often  recommended  to  others  was  with  him  to  the  end,  and  in  the 
triumph  of  faith  he  went  to  the  great  company  "  who  stand  with- 
out fault  before  the  throne. " 

He  died  December  18,  1889,  at  Cedar  Rapids. 

Lyman  Catlin. 

Lyman  Catlin  was  a  model  man,  a  successful  teacher  and  a 
useful  minister.  He  was  born  at  Phelps,  New  York,  in  1814  and  at 
eighteen  years  of  age  was  converted  and  united  with  the  church. 
He  was  educated  at  Genesee  Wc^lcyau  Seminary,  removed  to 
Illinois  and  became  a  professor  in  Punk  River  Seminary  at  Mount 
Morris.  Later  he  removed  to  Maquoketa,  Iowa,  and  entered 
into  business.  In  1865  he  was  admitted  into  the  L'pper  Iowa 
Conference  and  for  twenty-three  years  he  served  faithfidly  the 
charges  assigned  him.  As  a  citizen  he  was  alert,  intelligent  and 
conscientious ;  in  the  social  circle  he  was  charming  and  attractive  ; 
as  a  business  man  he  was  the  soul  of  honor;  and  as  a  pastor  he  was 
faithful  and  true.  He  died  in  Waterloo  in  1S92,  aged  seventy- 
eight.  The  memory  of  his  life  is  an  inspiration  to  all  who  knew 
him. 

John  W.  Clinton,  D.  D. 
John  W.  Clinton  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  February  10, 
1831,  and  graduated  with  honor  from  the  Toronto  Normal  School. 
After  teaching  fifteen  years,  he  was  admitted  into  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference  in  1866.  He  very  soon  rose  to  a  leading  position  in 
the  Conference,  was  appointed  to  the  largest  churches  and  usually 
served  the  full  pastoral  term.  He  was  an  able  preacher  and  ex- 
celled as  an  expounder  of  the  Bible.  He  was  a  ready  platform 
orator  and  was  in  demand  for  lectures  and  addresses  on  civic, 
educational  and  political  topics,  in  which  he  never  voiced  an 


112 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


uncertain  sound  on  the  moral  issues  of  the  day.  His  genial, 
kindly  disposition,  coupled  with  an  accurate  knowledge  of  human 
nature,  tact  and  energy,  rendered  him  an  excellent  pastor. 
Whether  as  business  man,  teacher,  pastor  or  preacher  he  most  ex- 
celled, is  hard  to  tell.  He  served  one  term  as  presiding  elder  of 
Decorah  District,  was  conference  secretary  from  1873  to  1879, 
and  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  in  1884.  As  a  church 
dedicator  he  had  few  peers  in  western  Methodism,  having  offi- 
ciated at  the  dedication  of  seventy-five  churches,  in  which  he 
raised  more  than  S300,000.00.  He  never  failed  to  secure  the 
amount  asked  for. 

For  twentj'-five  years  he  was  a  trustee  of  Cornell  College,  and 
for  many  years  a  trustee  of  Upper  Iowa  University. 

His  last  sermon  was  preached  less  than  two  weeks  before  his 
call  from  labor  to  reward.  Even  on  his  death  bed  his  heart  and 
mind  were  full  of  plans  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  he  so 
much  loved.  When  at  last  he  knew  he  must  go,  he  said,  "It  is 
all  right.  The  workman  falls  but  the  work  goes  on. "  He  died 
at  Vinton,  Iowa,  January  20,  1894  and  was  buried  in  Hampton. 
Andrew  Coleman. 

In  the  list  of  appointments  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
in  1856,  appears,  "Andrew  Coleman,  Presiding  Elder  of  Iowa 
City  District." 

He  was  born  in  West  Virginia,  April  5,  1799,  and  died  in 
Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  May  4,  1881.  He  entered  the  ministry  of  the 
Pittsburg  Conference  in  1825.  After  seventeen  years  of  success- 
ful labor  in  that  conference,  he  was  in  1842  transferred  to  the  Rock 
River  Conference,  which  then  included  Iowa  as  a  mission  field' 
and  stationed  in  Dubuque.  After  that  time  his  interests  and  la" 
bors  were  constantly  identified  with  this  state.  He  was  an 
original  member  both  of  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1844,  and  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  1856.  He  continued  in  the  active 
work  of  the  ministry  until  1871,  filling  some  of  the  most  respon- 
sible positions  in  the  Conference  and  served  eleven  years  as  presid- 
ing elder,  always  with  fidelity  and  success. 

He  was  a  devoted  minister  of  Christ  and  preached  with  great 
fervor  and  effect.  He  communed  much  with  God  in  secret  prayer, 
and  was  very  conscientious  in  reading  and  treasuring  up  the  Word 
of  Life.  His  sermons  and  prayers  all  gave  evidence  that  he  had 
been  with  Jesus  on  the  mount  of  blessing  and  learned  of  Him. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  superannuation,  the  Conference  adopt- 
ed the  following: 

"Whereas,  Our  revered  and  greatly  beloved  brother, 
Andrew  Coleman,  who  has  labored  in  the  itinerancy  for 
fifty-six  years,  with  great  usefiilness,  cheerfulness  and  self-sac- 
rifice, is  about  to  retire  from  the  active  work,  therefore 

"Resolved,  That  we  view  his  retirement  in  tenderness  and 
in  tears,  and  while  he  may  not  share  the  toils  of  our  heads  and 
hands  he  shall  ever  hold  a  dear  place  in  our  hearts. 

"Resolved,  That  whUe  we  revere  the  hoary  head  as  a 
crown  of  glory,  even  more  do  we  appreciate  the  sweetness  of  feeling 
with  which  in  his  advanced  years  he  has  ever  encouraged  the 
younger  members  of  the  Conference,  and  though  his  voice  calls 
for  further  toils  and  conflicts,  that  voice  is  drowned  by  our  unan- 
imous acclaim:  'Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant.'  Soon 
the  Master  will  add,  'Enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.'  " 

For  ten  years  Father  Coleman  resided  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa, 
loved  and  honored  by  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  was  one  of  the 
fathers  who  "grew  old  gracefuUy,  gratefully  and  lovingly."  His 
words  of  flame  and  tears  of  joy  at  the  sessions  of  our  Conference 
were  long  remembered.  Of  him,  his  last  pastor.  Reverend  Dr. 
Coxe,  of  Iowa  Conference,  writes : 

"His  piety  was  sincere  and  unaffected,  his  Christian  sym- 


114 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


pathies  were  broad  and  active,  his  zeal  ardent  to  the  very  last. 
Cherishing  a  warm  love  for  the  Church  of  his  life-long  service,  his 
catholicity  of  spirit  yet  made  him  eagerly  interested  in  every 
movement  and  enterprise  of  the  church  at  large.  He  was  in  labors 
abundant,  visiting  from  house  to  house,  and  occasionally  preach- 
ing as  opportunity  offered,  and  carried  'a  sweet  attractive  kind  of 
grace'  into  every  circle  he  entered.  He  was  eminently  a  godly 
man,  of  prayerful  spirit,  a  devoted  student  of  God's  word,  and  a 
constant  and  interested  attendant  upon  the  public  services  of 
the  church.  He  died  as  he  had  lived,  'in  the  Lord,'  and  his  works 
follow  him." 

Jacob  G.  Dimmitt,  D.D. 

Jacob  G.  Dimmitt  was  born  at  Harpers  Ferry,  Virginia, 
March  1,  1806.  He  went  when  a  child  with  his  parents  to  Ohio. 
He  was  converted  when  fourteen.  In  1839  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Ohio  Conference,  and  traveled  Georgetown  circuit.  One  of 
his  fu'st  and  most  pleasant  resting  places  was  the  home  of  Jesse 
R.  Grant,  the  father  of  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  afterwards  President  of 
the  United  States.  Ulysses,  then  a  boy,  was  always  delighted 
to  see  him. 

In  1850  Brother  Dimmitt  came  to  Iowa.  From  1852  to  1855 
he  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Dubuque  District,  which  then  in- 
cluded Davenport  and  Muscatine  and  intervening  territory. 
From  1862  to  1864  he  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Iowa  City  District. 
In  1852  and  in  1856  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference. 
In  1869  he  was  transferred  to  the  Des  Moines  Conference  and 
appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  Des  Moines  District.  Brother 
Dimmitt  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence  and  of  unusual  nat- 
ural endowments.  To  these  were  added  the  culture  and  cour- 
tesies of  the  Christian  gentleman.  His  nervous  organism  was  of 
the  finest  texture,  well  suited  to  his  soul.  He  excelled  as  a  pulpit 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


orator  and  his  quarterly  meetings  were  of  unusual  interest.  When 
serving  as  presiding  elder,  he  was  always  remarkably  considerate 
of  young  men.  His  wise  counsels  and  steadfast  support  in  their 
peculiar  difficulties  never  failed.  In  later  years,  one  of  his  favor- 
ite texts  was:  "Here  we  have  no  continuing  city,  but  we  seek 
one  to  come."  Visions  of  the  heavenly  city  rose  before  him  and 
his  hearers  as  he  preached  from  these  words,  and  then  with 
tremulous  voice  he  would  sing, 

"How  can  it  be,  thou  Heavenly  King, 
That  Thou  shouldst  me  to  glory  bring?" 
His  favorite  hymn  was:    "There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood," 
and  in  singing  it  his  soul  woukl  exult.    His  faith  and  experi- 
ence shone  forth  most  brightly  in  the  closing  hours  of  his  life. 

He  died  in  the  city  of  Des  Moines,  November  20,  1872. 
Sa:\iui:l  M.  Fellows,  A.  M. 

S.  M.  Fellows  was  principal  of  Iowa  Conference  Seminary 
and  president  of  Cornell  College  from  1853  to  1863,  thus  giving  to 
this  institution  ten  years  of  service. 

Previous  to  coming  to  Mount  Vernon,  he  had  been  for  thir- 
teen years  student,  professor  and  principal  of  Rock  River  Sem- 
inary at  Mount  Morris,  Illinois.  Honorable  R.  R.  Hitt,  Con- 
gressman from  Illinois,  and  former  student  at  Mount  Morris, 
thus  writes  of  him: 

"He  was  a  diligent,  acute,  accurate  student  and  his  personal 
character  was  admirable.  For  many  years  he  filled  the  position 
of  professor  in  the  Rock  River  Seminary  with  singular  success 
and  usefulness.  In  nothing  did  he  hold  aloof  from  any  good 
work  or  influence  among  the  students.  It  is  the  fortune  of  few 
men  in  this  world  to  exercise  so  wide  and  prominent  an  influence." 

United  States  Senator,  S.  M.  Cullom,  another  of  his  students, 
thus  WTites: 

"I  regard  Professor  Fellows  as  one  of  the  best  men  I  ever 


ir6 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


knew.  I  said  it  when  I  was  under  him  at  school,  and  now  that 
I  am  over  seventy  years  of  age,  I  say  it  now.  He  was  strong, 
honest  hearted,  full  of  kindness  and  a  splendid  teacher.  I  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  end  of  his  days  and  mourned  when  he  died." 

The  Reverend  Dr.  D.  H.  Wheeler,  a  student  and  associate 
both  in  Mount  Morris  and  Mount  Vernon,  thus  writes : 

"I  have  through  all  these  years  a  clear  vision  of  a  man  sweet- 
spirited,  pure-minded,  of  fine  executive  abUity,  a  rarely  qualified 
teacher,  a  patient  sufferer,  a  tireless  worker,  a  model  friend,  and 
I  revere  his  memory.  If  we  erected  altars  to  our  dead,  I  wo\ild 
say  my  prayers  often  before  one  inscribed  'Samuel  M.  Fellows.'  " 

Of  his  work  in  Cornell  College,  Colonel  H.  H.  Rood,  a  former 
student,  writes: 

"President  Fellows  seemed  selected  by  Providence  to  give  to 
Cornell  the  spirit  which  has  actuated  her  during  her  entire  career. 
He  was  a  man  of  high  personal  character,  modest,  firm,  just  and 
far-seeing.  Overwhelmed  at  all  times  with  the  details  of  the  great 
work  he  had  undertaken,  he  still  found  time  to  read  and  study, 
and  ever  brought  into  the  class  room,  the  lecture  room  and  the 
college  chapel,  fresh  thought  clothed  in  simple  but  beautiful  lan- 
guage. Fortunate  indeed  is  it  that  the  spirit  he  planted  has  never 
changed ;  and  he  who  would  understand  what  the  Cornell  of  to-day 
is,  must  carefully  study  what  the  Cornell  of  that  day  was." 

President  Fellows  was  an  almost  constant  sufferer  from  asth- 
ma for  over  twenty  years,  but  he  never  uttered  a  word  of  com- 
plaint. Always  patient,  cheerful  and  happy,  he  contributed 
largely  to  the  happiness  of  those  around  him. 

On  Friday  evening,  the  day  after  commencement,  June  26, 
1863,  after  bidding  farewell  to  his  family,  he  sank  quietly  and  peace- 
fully to  rest. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


117 


Sweeney  C.  Freer. 

One  of  the  original  members  of  the  Conference  was  S.  C. 
Freer.  He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1818,  came  to  Iowa  in  1856 
and  became  at  once  an  active  member  of  the  Conference,  serving 
in  LeClaire,  Camanche,  Tipton,  Vinton,  and  Independence.  He 
was  presiding  elder  of  Vinton  District  from  1864  to  1868,  when 
the  country  was  new,  settlements  scattered,  rides  long, 
streams  unbridged.  It  became  necessary  sometimes  to  take  his 
buggy  apart  and -convey  it  and  harness  across  streams  in  skiffs 
and  to  swim  his  horses  to  the  opposite  bank.  In  all  his  relations 
and  work,  he  was  discreet  in  judgment,  correct  in  practice  and 
conscientious  in  motive.  On  all  occasions  he  exemplified  the  dig- 
nity of  his  calling  and  the  sweetness  of  the  spirit  of  his  Master. 

After  his  superannuation,  during  all  the  years  of  release 
from  direct  ministerial  responsibility,  he  was  loyal  to  the  church 
and  her  ministers,  regular  in  his  attendance  at  her  services,  lib- 
eral to  all  her  benevolences,  and  ready  to  share  in  revival  work. 

He  left  many  bright  and  hallowed  influences  which  have 
continued  to  bless  the  living  for  many  years.  Truly  he  was  "dil- 
igent in  business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord,"  and  the 
hundreds  of  precious  souls  that  were  guided  by  him  to  the  fold 
of  Christ  shall  at  last  with  him  "return  and  come  to  Zion  with 
songs  and  everlasting  joy." 

He  died  at  his  home  in  Vinton,  November  15,  1883. 
I.  K.  Fuller. 

Dr.  Fuller  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  In  early  life  he 
removed  to  New  York,  then  to  Indiana,  and  in  1855  came  to 
MechanicsviUe,  Iowa.  He  was  received  into  the  Conference  in 
1857  and  for  twenty  years  he  was  a  faithul  and  useful  member. 
His  standing  in  the  Conference  is  indicated  by  the  charges  he  served, 
viz.,  Springville,  Sioux  City,  Dubuque,  Marshalltowri,  McGregor, 


ii8 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Iowa  Cit}',  Davenport,  Iowa  City  District,  DeWitt  and  Waterloo. 
He  was  an  able  preacher,  a  sympathetic  pastor,  and  a  good  man. 
He  was  not  permitted  to  give  any  last  testimony  respecting  the 
value  of  faith  in  Christ;  but  the  patient  cheerfulness  with  which 
he  bore  the  pain  and  weakness  of  his  last  sickness,  was  a  better 
testimony  than  any  last  words  of  ecstacy  could  have  been. 

He  had  learned  to  suffer  as  well  as  to  do  the  will  of  his 
Father  in  heaven.  He  declared,  shortly  before  his  death,  that 
"The  last  year  has  been  the  best  of  my  life."  ^ 

He  died  June  17,  1878,  at  his  home  in  DeWitt. 

James  Gilruth. 

James  Gilruth  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  characters  in 
early  Methodism.  He  was  a  son  of  Scotch  parents  and  was  born 
on  the  Virginia  side  of  the  Ohio  River  in  1793,  and  was  taken 
with  his  father's  family  to  Scioto  County,  Ohio,  in  1797.  There 
he  was  trained  in  all  the  experience  of  backwoods  life.  For  years 
their  meal  came  from  the  hominy  block  or  handmill,  the  forest 
affording  an  abundance  of  meat,  and  the  river  a  never  failing  sup- 
ply of  fish.  For  music,  they  were  often  serenaded  by  the  hoot- 
ing of  owls  and  the  howling  of  wolves  through  the  night  and  the 
gobbling  of  turkeys  in  the  morning.  For  years  they  had  no  schools, 
no  preaching,  no  religious  meeting  of  any  kind;  and  James  was  ten 
years  old  before  he  heard  a  sermon  or  saw  an  ear  of  growing  wheat. 

In  1819  he  was  converted  and  received  into  the  Ohio  Confer- 
ence and  for  thirty  years  he  travclcil  in  tliat  conference,  some- 
times on  circuits  or  stations,  then  on  cxten^dve  di.-tricts  as  pre- 
siding elder.  He  faithfully  served  the  church  through  storms, 
mud  and  ice,  swimming  streams,  f)ften  preaching  in  dripping 
clothes,  never  missing  an  appointment  in  fourteen  years.  He 
had  a  most  powerful  physical  frame,  and  in  his  prime  he  hardly 
knew  what  sickness  was.  As  to  his  strength,  during  many  years 
it  was  doubted  whether  his  eciual  could  be  found  in  Ohio,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


119 


woe  be  to  that  intruder  at  camp  meeting  who  was  fastened  with- 
in his  clutches.  Repentance  or  submission  was  the  only  remedy 
and  the  poor  victim  knew  it,  for  Gilruth's  courage  was  equal  to 
his  strength. 

As  a  Bible  student  he  had  few  equals,  as  indicated  1)y  the  char- 
acter of  his  sermons  and  by  the  correctness  of  liis  quotations. 
For  many  5'ears  in  his  old  age  he  was  a  member  of  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference,  but  lived  on  his  farm  near  Davenport.  He  was  a 
man  of  rough  exterior,  but  possessed  of  a  manly,  honest  heart. 
It  can  be  truthfully  said  of  him  that  in  early  life  he  chose  God  as 
his  portion,  devoted  the  best  part  of  that  life  to  His  service,  re- 
ceived His  approval  in  death,  and  went  to  his  home  and  reward 
in  heaven.    He  died  June  2,  1S73. 

Samuel  Y.  Harmer. 

In  size  and  appearance,  "Father  Harmer"  resembled  a  patri- 
arch of  old.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1809.  After  four- 
teen years  of  service  as  a  local  preacher,  he  came  to  Iowa  and 
was  admitted  into  the  Conference  in  1857.  He  was  pre-eminently 
a  revivalist.  The  pentecostal  fire  seemed  to  fall  on  the  people 
as  he  gave  utterance  to  words  from  the  Scripture.  He  was  always 
in  demand  for  revival  services  and  camp  meetings.  During  his 
active  ministry,  his  beaming  countenance  was  always  wreathed 
in  smiles  and  his  kindly  voice  freighted  with  good  words.  Hun- 
dreds were  led  to  Christ  through  his  instrumentality. 

It  is  said  that  the  famous  hymn,  "In  the  Christian's  Home 
in  Glory,"  was  composed  by  him  in  twenty  minutes,  in  1856. 

He  was  superannuated  in  1880.  His  mental  powers  failed 
rapidly,  but  when  he  did  not  know  wife  or  children,  he  was  asked 
if  he  knew  Jesus,  and  quickly  responded:  "I  have  known  Him 
well  for  lo,  these  many  years,  and  he  has  never  forsaken  me." 

On  March  26,  1884,  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 


I20 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Samuel  Woodward  Heald. 

Dr.  Heald  was  a  native  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  born  in 
1842.  He  was  received  on  trial  into  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
in  1867,  and  continued  his  ministry  without  interruption  for 
thirty-six  years.  During  this  time  he  served  the  following  charges : 
Blairstown,  Janesville,  Nashua,  Mason  City,  McGregor,  Mar- 
shalltown,  Davenport  14th  Street,  Cedar  Falls,  Mount  Vernon, 
Fayette,  Maquoketa,  Anamosa,  Tipton,  Cresco  and  Osage. 

For  twenty-three  years  he  was  secretary  of  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference,  without  competitor  and  usually  elected  by  accla- 
mation. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  memorable  Cleveland  convention 
which  founded  the  Epworth  League.  Not  only  in  his  own  thought 
but  in  that  of  others,  it  was  both  a  privilege  and  an  honor  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  deliberations  of  this  convention,  and  to  aid  in 
launching  so  great  an  enterprise.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference  in  1892. 

Dr.  Heald  was  a  devoted  pastor,  a  zealous  seeker  after  souls 
and  a  gifted  preacher.  In  deportment  he  was  always  a  gentle- 
man, cheerful,  generous  and  kind,  the  life  of  any  social  circle  he 
chanced  to  come  into.  He  was  kind  and  considerate  in  deed  and 
manner  and  delightfully  courteous.  He  was  a  lover  of  humanity. 
Childhood  always  caught  sunshine  from  his  face.  He  adapted 
himself  to  every  age  and  class  in  the  true  spirit  of  a  representa- 
tive from  the  Court  of  Heaven. 

He  was  a  Methodist  by  intuition,  loving  the  doctrines,  dis- 
cipline and  usages  of  his  chosen  church;  and  yet  so  broad  in  his 
charity  that  he  was  loved  by  all  Christian  people  wherever  he 
served  as  pastor. 

In  personal  appearance  and  manner.  Dr.  Heald  was  unusu- 
ally prepossessing.  He  had  a  finely  molded  head,  always  grace- 
ful in  poise,  expressive  features  well  nigh  classic  in  outline,  in- 


DECEASED  MEMBERS  OF  THE  CONFERENCE 


1.  T.  C.  Golden  3.    A.  J.  Kvnett  5.    Landon  Tavlor  7.    Andrew  Coleman 

2.  Isaac  Newton         4.    Jacob  Havmond     6.    J.  G.  Dimmitt  8.    O.  D.  Bowles 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


121 


dicating  a  mentality  fine  and  strong,  and  a  well  built,  symmetri- 
cal body.  His  voice  was  clear  and  musical  and  under  complete 
control.  All  these  qualities  were  consecrated  to  the  work  of 
God  and  the  service  of  men. 

He  believed  in,  possessed  and  quietly  advocated  the  ad- 
vanced views  and  experiences  of  Methodism. 

In  the  home  he  was  intense  in  feeling  and  affection,  render- 
ing his  domestic  relations  most  charming. 

His  last  illness  was  brief  and  his  death  sudden.  One  of  his 
last  utterances  was,  "I  am  so  glad  I  have  spent  my  life  trying  to 
make  men  better." 

He  died  at  Osage,  September  7,  1903. 

Horatio  W.  Houghton. 

H.  W.  Houghton  was  born  at  Springfield,  Vermont,  in  1812 
and  was  admitted  into  the  Providence  Conference  in  1844,  where 
he  labored  thirteen  years.  In  1857  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  and  rendered  excellent  service  for  eight- 
een years,  eight  of  those  years  serving  as  presiding  elder.  In 
1879  he  received  the  relation  of  superannuation. 

He  was  a  good  preacher,  safe  administrator,  and  the  warm 
friend  and  wise  counselor  of  the  young  preachers  who  came  under 
his  influence. 

He  died  at  Lansing,  October  1,  1904. 

D.  Nelson  Holmes. 

D.  N.  Holmes  was  transferred  from  the  Genesee  Conference 
to  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1852.  He  was  an  original  member  of 
the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  and  continued  in  service  until  his 
superannuation  in  1874.  From  1858  to  1862,  he  was  presiding 
elder  of  the  Fort  Dodge  District,  and  in  1868  was  a  delegate  to 
the  General  Conference.  He  w^as  a  genial  yet  devoted  man,  wel- 
come in  every  home,  especially  fond  of  children,  and  an  able  min- 


122 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


ister  of  the  word.  He  gave  thirty-two  years  of  earnest  toil,  much 
of  the  time  on  the  frontier,  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  The  thirteen 
years  of  superannuation  were  usefully  spent  in  the  communities 
where  he  lived.  He  loved  the  house  of  God  and  took  delight  in 
the  services  of  the  sanctuary. 

He  was  ready  for  the  final  change,  and  passed  away  like  a 
weary  one  dropping  off  into  a  refreshing  sleep.  He  lived  right  and 
therefore  he  died  right.    He  died  August  2,  1887. 

Solom6n  W.  Ingham,  Sr. 
S.  W.  Ingham  was  born  in  Dryden,  New  York,  in  1812.  In 
his  early  boyhood  his  family  removed  to  Indiana.  He  was  li- 
censed to  preach  in  1838,  and  in  1840,  with  his  young  wife,  he  came 
to  Columbus  City,  Iowa.  In  1841  he  was  admitted  to  the  Rock 
River  Conference,  which  then  included  Iowa,  and  was  appointed 
to  Marion  Circuit.  The  next  faU  he  drove  from  Marion  to  Chica- 
go in  his  buggy  to  attend  the  Conference  and  was  retvu-ned  to  Mar- 
ion. As  a  pioneer  itinerant  preacher  his  work  was  chiefly  along 
the  Cedar  River  from  its  mouth  to  the  Minnesota  state  line. 

S.  W.  Ingham  was  a  quiet  but  persistent  worker,  never  fail- 
ing to  witness  gracious  revivals  on  the  work  of  which  he  had 
charge.  He  was  held  in  universal  esteem  wherever  known.  For 
several  years  preceding  his  death,  he  was  an  invalid,  but  never 
did  he  lose  his  strong  faith  in  God,  or  his  interest  in  and  zeal  for 
the  work  of  the  church  in  which  for  sixty-three  years  he  had  been 
a  faithful  minister,  a  devout  and  earnest  worker.  His  end  was 
peaceful  and  triumphant.  He  found  the  Christ  whose  gospel 
he  so  long  had  preached,  faithful  to  the  end.  As  a  weary  child 
he  gave  himself  to  the  everlasting  arms  and  went  to  sleep.  He 
entered  into  rest,  February  15,  1901. 

Richard  W.  Keeler,  D.D. 
One  of  the  strong  men  of  the  early  Conference  was  R.  W. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


123 


Keeler.  He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1824,  converted  at  thirteen, 
and  in  1845  was  received  into  the  New  York  Conference.  In  185G 
he  was  transferred  to  Iowa,  becoming  an  original  member  of  the 
Upper  low-a  Conference  and  was  stationed  at  First  Church,  Dav- 
enport. In  1857  he  was  elected  president  of  Cornell  College 
w'here  he  served  two  years.  In  1859  he  became  principal  of  Ep- 
worth  Seminary  where  he  labored  five  years.  For  eleven  years 
he  served  as  presiding  elder,  and  for  nine  years  was  secretary  of 
the  Conference.  In  1884  he  became  Dean  of  Theology  in  Central 
Tennessee  College,  which  position  he  occupied  for  six  years,  and 
for  three  years  he  was  lecturer  on  the  English  Bible  in  the  Upper 
Iowa  University.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conferences 
of  1860,  1864  and  1872. 

In  all  respects  Dr.  Keeler  was  a  large  man.  Commanding 
and  impressive  in  his  personal  appearance,  he  was  possessed  of 
intellectual  gifts  that  were  equally  commanding  and  impressive. 
He  was  a  man  of  large  thoughts,  large  conceptions  and  large  sym- 
pathies. In  the  days  of  his  strength  he  was  a  preacher  of  great 
power.  His  breadth  and  reach  of  thought  were  a  great  intellect- 
ual stimvilus  to  his  hearers.  Added  to  this  was  the  deep  spiritual 
and  evangelical  character  of  his  preaching.  He  was  a  close  and 
devout  student  of  the  Bible.  His  mind  was  saturated  with  Bib- 
lical truth  and  thought,  which  pervaded  all  his  pulpit  utterances. 
In  all  his  work  as  pastor,  presiding  elder,  and  teacher,  he  prayer- 
fully solight  for  himself  and  his  beloved  church  the  illumination 
and  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  And  to  the  service  and  work 
of  the  church,  he  gave  the  fuU  measure  of  his  love  and  the  best 
qualities  of  body  and  mind.  At  his  own  request  he  was  granted 
a  superannuation  in  1895,  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Des 
Moines  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death  in  1899. 

In  his  last  sickness  he  was  patient  and  uncomplaining.  He 
looked  forward  to  his  approaching  dissolution  as  the  coming  of 


124 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


a  great  deliverance,  and  was  often  heard  to  pray,  "Lord  Jesus, 
come  quickly."  At  length  the  change  came  and  the  redeemed 
and  released  spirit  entered  into  its  eternal  victory. 

Alpha  J.  Kynett,  LL.D. 

Dr.  Kynett  was  born  in  1829  at  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania, 
and  came  with  his  father's  family  to  Iowa  in  1842.  In  1851  he 
was  admitted  into  the  Iowa  Conference  and  became  an  original 
member  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Cortference  in  1856.  In  the  early 
sixties,  prompted  by  the  financial  embarrassment  that  had  over- 
taken many  of  the  churches,  he  began  to  work  out  the  problem 
of  the  church  extension  society,  first  in  his  own  Conference  and 
later  in  the  general  church.  In  the  General  Conference  of  1864, 
by  his  energy  and  skill,  though  a  new  member  in  that  body,  he 
so  set  forth  the  merits  of  this  cause  as  to  secure  its  adoption. 

In  1867  Dr.  Kynett  was  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Bishops, 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Church  Extension,  and 
for  nearly  thirty-two  years,  as  an  executive  officer,  he  conducted 
its  affairs  with  pre-eminent  ability.  He  had  the  unique  distinc- 
tion of  creating  a  great  benevolent  society  which  grew  and  pros- 
pered under  his  own  supervision  through  all  these  years  until  it 
had  aided  nearly  11,000  churches  with  donations  and  loans,  ag- 
gregating almost  six  and  one-half  millions  of  dollars.  To  pre- 
serve sacred  the  Loan  Fund,  the  creature  of  his  own  brain,  and 
to  guard  all  the  funds  of  the  Board  of  Church  Extension  was  the 
life  work  of  Dr.  Kynett.  It  was  often  his  painfiil  duty  to  stand 
up  against  the  popular  demand  that  he  should  disregard  the  laws 
of  administration  or  the  sacredness  of  trusts,  in  order  to  help 
needy  and  distressed  cases,  and  sometimes,  alas,  he  stood  almost 
alone.  But  his  unflinching  fidelity  inspired  the  confidence  of  mul- 
titudes of  the  givers  of  Methodism,  who  intrusted  money  liberally 
to  so  careful  a  management.  He  stood  as  a  sentinel,  in  sunshine 
and  storm,  one  of  the  most  heroic  figures  in  Methodism. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


Dr.  Kj-nett  was  an  active  and  potent  factor  in  every  great 
question  that  stirred  the  church.  A  tower  of  strengtli  for  lay 
representation  in  the  General  Conference,  he  carried  the  principle 
to  its  logical  conclusion  in  strongly  advocating  equal  lay  and  min- 
isterial representation,  with  women  as  equal  participants  with 
men. 

He  was  also  in  the  forefront  of  the  great  spiritual  movements 
of  the  time.  Nothing  of  great  moment  to  the  church  or  society 
escaped  him.    He  was  an  ecclesiastical  statesman. 

Among  the  great  reforms  of  the  day,  Dr.  Kynett  was  es- 
pecially interested  in  that  of  temperance.  For  many  years  he 
was  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  temperance,  appointed 
by  the  General  Conference.  He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  American  Anti-Saloon  League.  In  his  last  great  speech  at 
Harrisburg  he  was  still  rallj'ing  the  church  for  her  great  mission 
for  temperance  and  humanity. 

Dr.  Kynett's  leadership  in  our  Conference,  which  was  won 
in  early  manhood,  remained  potent  and  useful  to  the  last.  He 
never  assvmaed  leadership ;  but  it  was  always  spontaneously  accord- 
ed to  him.  He  never  lost  his  keen  personal  interest  in  the  mem- 
bers and  work  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference ;  and  the  Conference 
never  waned  in  its  love  and  admiration  for  him,  as  shown  by  its 
electing  him  to  nine  successive  General  Conferences,  almost  always 
at  the  head  of  the  delegation.  This  was  simply  an  expression  of 
their  appreciation  of  his  noble  character  and  magnetic  leadership, 
and  of  what  they  believed  best  for  the  Conference  and  the  church. 

God  made  Dr.  Kynett  on  a  large  pattern.  A  large  head  set 
upon  broad  shoidders,  a  full  face,  a  clear  eye,  and  a  manly  bear- 
ing, made  him  a  very  distinguished  figure  in  any  company. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  seemed  to  be  at  the  zenith  of 
his  full-orbed  usefulness,  and  there  were  sincere  mourners  in  every 
state  and  territory,  and  in  the  obscure  places  beyond  the  moun- 


126 


UPPER    IOWA  CONFERENCE 


tains  and  beyond  the  seas.    But  there  was  joy  in  heaven, -for  a 
great  hero  had  received  his  crown.    He  died  February  23,  1899. 
Edwin  D.  Lamb. 

Edwin  D.  Lamb  was  a  native  of  New  York.  He  was  admit- 
ted into  the  Genesee  Conference  in  1852,  came  to  Iowa  in  1855, 
and  was  received  into  the  Iowa  Conference  and  appointed  to 
JanesvUle.  In  1856,  by  request,  he  was  returned  to  the  same 
circuit.  He  died  August  19,  1857,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty- 
seven,  in  the  morning  of  his  usefulness.  Of  his  sickness  and  death 
his  wife  writes: 

"All  through  his  sickness  he  manifested  a  strong  trust  in 
the  Savior  and  said  he  was  ready  to  go;  but  still  he  wanted  to 
live  for  the  sake  of  his  family,  and  to  labor  for  the  church  of 
Christ.  As  the  end  drew  near  he  became  exultant — every  breath 
was  spent  in  praise.  He  died  with  glory,  hallelujah  upon  his  lips." 

This  was  the  first  death  in  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  More 
than  one  hundred  have  since  joined  him  in  the  better  land. 
Simon  A.  Lee. 

S.  A.  Lee  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1829.  He  was  re- 
ceived into  the  North  Ohio  Conference  in  1851  and  labored  there 
five  years.  In  1856  he  came  to  Iowa,  attended  the  first  session 
of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  and  arranged  to  be  transferred 
and  stationed  at  Dyersville.  He  afterwards  served  at  Rock 
Dale,  Fayette,  Andrew,  Bellevue,  Vinton,  West  Waterloo,  Toledo, 
Independence,  Cedar  Falls  District  (three  years),  Waterloo, 
Marshalltown,  Marion,  Tipton,  Belle  Plaine,  Tama,  Clarence 
and  Montour. 

He  was  a  successful  pastor :  revivals  were  frequent  and  exten- 
sive, churches  and  parsonages  were  built  and  improved,  and  the 
churches  uniformly  prospered  under  his  labors.  As  a  preacher, 
he  was  clear,  sound  and  practical;  he  aimed  not  at  display,  but 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


127 


only  to  win  souls  for  Christ  and  build  them  up  in  Him.  In  all  his 
work  he  was  conscientious  and  painstaking.  He  was  a  lover  of 
learning,  and  his  motto  as  he  himself  wrote  was,  "to  learn  some- 
thing every  day."  He  was  a  warm  supporter  of  the  public  schools 
and  higher  literary  institutions,  and  uniformly  urged  young 
people  to  secure  their  advantages. 

As  a  pastor  he  was  kind  and  sympathetic  and  was  a  wel- 
come guest  in  every  family;  as  a  man  he  was  genial  and  pleasant; 
as  a  Christian,  faithful  and  true.  Thousands  have  thanked  God 
for  the  good  he  did  them  by  his  private  and  public  ministrations. 
His  religious  experience  was  always  bright,  never  more  bright 
than  during  his  last  brief  Ulness.  Not  a  cloud  or  doubt  or  fear 
troubled  him.  His  unfaltering  trust  was  in  Christ  and  he  fre- 
quently said,  "It  is  aU  right."  He  died  in  Toledo,  January  6, 1895. 

Joseph  Smith  McCord,  D.D. 

Dr.  McCord  was  born  in  "Washington  County,  Illinois,  in  1849. 
He  graduated  from  McKendree  College  in  1869,  was  admitted  in- 
to the  Central  Illinois  Conference  in  1876,  transferred  to  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  and  stationed  at  Davenport  in  1884.  In  1888 
he  was  stationed  in  Dubuque;  in  1892  returned  to  Davenport; 
and  in  1895  appointed  to  Iowa  City  where  he  served  five  years. 

Dr.  McCord  was  a  manly  man,  of  unquestioned  integrity, 
sincere  to  the  bottom  of  his  nature.  No  one  who  grasped  his 
hand  and  looked  into  his  eyes  ever  feared  to  trust  him  implicitly, 
and  no  man's  trust  was  ever  betrayed.  It  was  the  man  beneath 
the  minister  which  commanded  the  universal  respect,  knowing 
no  church  lines,  which  was  accorded  him  in  the  communities 
where  he  lived. 

As  a  preacher.  Dr.  McCord  was  simplicity  itself.  He  had 
a  passion  for  clearness,  and  a  rare  faculty  of  attaining  it,  what- 
ever his  thought  might  be.    He  once  said:  "The  real  labor  of 


128 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


my  preparation  is  that  I  may  make  it  so  plain  a  child  cannot  miss 
it."  His  delivery  was  full  of  persuasiveness,  and  when  preaching 
he  often  seemed  just  a  friend  pouring  into  the  heart  his  deepest 
meditations  about  the  "deep  things  of  God." 

As  a  pastor  he  possessed  the  rarest  insight  into  human  nature, 
coupled  with  the  most  exquisite  tact  in  dealing  with  men.  His 
was  peculiarly  a  personal  ministry,  and  these  were  among  the 
qualities  which  made  it  so  successful.  He  touched  and  influenced 
the  lives  and  hearts  of  men  in  a  very  unusual  way.  And  yet  his 
work  did  not  rest  on  his  own  personality;  it  was  founded  on  the 
Rock,  Christ  Jesus. 

Though  a  sufferer  for  years,  he  wrought  as  a  pastor  continu- 
ously and  successfully,  resolutely  combating  the  counsel  of  those 
who  felt  it  would  be  better  for  him  to  seek  rest.  What  this  must 
have  cost  him,  no  one  knew  from  his  lips,  until  delirium  came; 
then  through  the  long  hours  of  the  night,  the  watchers  at  his  side 
heard  the  weary  heart  give  out  its  cry,  and  he  would  plead  for 
rest.  At  last  it  came,  March  30,  1901,  and  in  its  slumbrous  arms 
he  was  lifted  into  the  presence  of  God. 

John  S.  McIntyre. 
J.  S.  McIntyre  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1847  and  came  with 
his  parents  to  America  in  1848.  He  graduated  from  Cornell 
College  and  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  and  was  received  into  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  1878.  After  his  ordination  he  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1882,  and  to  practice  before 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state  in  1883.  He  possessed  rare  ele- 
ments of  character.  His  heart  was  as  tender  as  a  mother's.  He 
was  reluctant  to  believe  evil  of  any  and  always  discovered  some- 
thing commendable  in  every  one.  Not  only  was  he  a  man  of 
strong  convictions,  but  he  possessed  the  courage  to  assert  them. 
He  was  fearless  in  the  fight  against  all  manner  of  evil,  but  espec- 


DECEASED  MEMBERS  OF  THE  CONFERENCE 

1.  Alonzo  Camp         5.    A.  H.  M.  Edwards   9.    C.  H.  Taylor  13.  P.  W.  Gould 

2.  W.  R.  Howe  6.    H.  Warner  10.    W.  H.  Miller  14.  S.  A.  Lee 

3.  Nathaniel  Jones      7.   T.  S.  Metcalf  11.    U.  Eberhart  15.  L.  S.  Cooler 

4.  R.  Norton  8.    J.  F.  Wilcox  li!.   W.  F.  Bacon  16.  A.  A.  Mason 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


129 


ially  against  intemperance.  His  entire  life  was  devoted  to  God. 
He  was  a  strong  preacher,  a  faithful  pastor,  and  an  untiring 
worker  in  every  position  to  which  the  church  called  him.  No 
one  can  study  his  life  without  being  impressed  that  for  him  "to 
live  was  Christ." 

For  several  daj^s  before  his  death,  he  talked  with  his  wife 
concerning  the  interests  of  the  charge,  directed  her  as  to  the  future 
care  of  the  children,  selected  the  hymns  for  his  funeral.  He  closed 
his  eyes  and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  January  30,  1892. 

Sydney  T.  McKim. 

S.  T.  McKim  was  born  in  Hockingport,  Ohio,  in  1850,  con- 
verted while  a  student  in  the  Ohio  University  at  Athens,  and  was 
received  on  trial  in  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  1876.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  instructive  and  Biblical.  No  home  was  too  re- 
mote or  too  humble  for  him  to  enter  if  he  coidd  comfort  a  burdened 
heart,  wipe  away  a  tear  of  sorrow,  or  help  a  struggling  soul  to 
Jesus.  He  was  a  careful  and  tireless  worker,  looking  to  all  the 
details  of  his  work  as  a  Methodist  minister.  As  a  man  and  a 
citizen,  he  was  honest,  loyal,  and  true.  In  the  home  he  was  best 
loved,  for  there  he  was  best  known.  It  was  written  of  him  after 
his  death,  that  he  was  "one  of  the  most  tender  hearted,  thoroughly 
honest,  most  conscientious  and  godly  men  that  ever  occupied 
a  pulpit  in  Traer."    He  died  in  Traer,  July  9,  1905. 

Isaac  Newton. 

Isaac  Ne^\'ton  was  born  in  Bristol,  England,  in  1816.  He 
was  trained  and  confirmed  in  the  Church  of  England.  Not  being 
satisfied  as  to  his  salvation,  he  at  one  time  took  a  whole  candle 
and  went  into  his  bedroom,  lighted  it  and  said  he  would  stay  upon 
his  knees  until  it  was  burned  up,  seeking  salvation  at  the  hand  of 
the  Lord.  Soon  the  blessing  came  as  a  flash  of  light  from  the 
throne.    After  his  conversion  he  joined  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 


130  UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 

Church.  He  came  to  America  in  1849,  and  was  received  into  the 
Iowa  Conference  in  1851,  and  was  therefore  an  original  member 
of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  For  twenty-seven  years  he  labored 
efficiently,  two  years  as  the  presiding  elder  of  Anamosa  District- 
He  was  a  good  preacher  and  many  were  converted  through 
his  preaching.  During  the  twenty-one  years  of  his  superannua- 
tion, to  the  limit  of  his  ability,  he  lovingly  worked  and  prayed 
for  the  building  up  of  the.  church.  He  was  always  cordial  in 
receiving  the  pastor,  was  never  a  hindrance  to  him.  His  influence 
in  the  home  and  community  was  a  constant  benediction.  He 
was  conscious  and  triumphant  in  his  last  iUness.  At  the  very 
last  he  said  to  loved  ones:  "I  am  glad  to  see  you.  This  is  my 
last  day.  I  am  dying,  good-bye." 

He  died  in  Farley,  September  3,  1904,  in  his  89th  year  of  age. 

Roderick  Norton. 
Roderick  Norton  came  to  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  by 
transfer  in  1860  from  Erie  Conference  and  for  twenty-two  years 
filled  some  of  the  best  charges,  including  Clinton,  Marion,  Cedar 
Falls,  Mount  Vernon,  Manchester,  Osage  and  Fayette.  His  minis- 
try was  always  accompanied  with  great  revivals.  This  was  especial- 
ly true  at  Fayette  and  Mount  Vernon.  Indeed  the  conversion 
of  souls  bore  constant  witness  to  the  genuineness  of  his  mission 
and  to  the  uninterrupted  divine  blessing  upon  it.  He  believed 
implicitly  in  God  and  in  his  word,  in  Christ  and  His  salvation,  in 
the  resurrection  and  in  the  life  after  death.  By  this  faith  he  con- 
quered, not  only  in  death  but  in  life.  In  all  his  ministry  he  pre- 
sented the  scheme  of  salvation,  not  as  a  theory  to  be  proved,  but 
as  a  fact  to  be  accepted.  He  saw  right  and  duty  so  clearly  that 
motives  of  expediency  had  no  power. 

While  pastor  at  Fayette  he  served  also  as  president  of  the 
Upper  Iowa  University.    During  his  presidency,  public  confi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


deuce  was  restored,  the  financial  status  greatly  improved,  the 
number  of  students  quadrupled  and  the  school  placed  on  a  firmer 
basis. 

In  his  relations  as  pastor,  teacher,  friend,  he  was  generous 
of  time  and  service.  He  was  in  the  world  not  to  be  ministered 
unto  but  to  minister.  His  qualities  of  heart  drew  men's  affec- 
tions. His  intellectual  power  drew  their  admiration.  He 
preached  with  the  eloquence  of  great  thoughts  and  strong  emo- 
tions. He  loved  books  and  read  the  best  authors.  For  twenty- 
years  he  was  an  influential  trustee  of  Cornell  College.  His  life 
indeed  was  filled  with  usefulness.  When  death  came,  it  had  no 
terrors.  On  September  30,  1883,  he  "fell  asleep,"  painlessly  and 
quietly  as  a  little  child.  When  near  his  end  he  said:  "Whether 
I  live  or  die,  aU  is  weU." 

W.  Frank  Paxton,  D.D. 

Dr.  Paxton  was  born  in  1835  in  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania, 
graduated  from  Pennsylvania  College  in  1856,  was  professor  in 
Baltimore  Female  College  for  two  years,  then  came  to  Iowa  and, 
in  1858,  was  received  into  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  He  served 
the  following  charges:  Cedar  Rapids,  Cedar  FaUs,  Osage,  Floyd, 
Bellevue,  Maquoketa,  14th  street  Davenport,  and  Mason  City. 
For  twelve  years  he  was  presiding  elder,  serving  the  Fayette,  Daven- 
port and  Decorah  Districts,  each  a  full  term  of  four  years.  In 
1889  his  health  suddenly  and  permanently  failed.  He  super- 
annuated and  removed  to  San  Francisco  where  he  died  in  1894. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  clear  in  his  thought,  neat  in  rhetorical 
style,  tender  in  his  manner  and  frequently  deeply  sympathetic. 
He  was  never  boisterous,  but  was  deeply  in  earnest.  He  was  a 
man  of  affairs  and  made  a  very  efficient  executive  when  entrusted 
with  that  responsibility.  His  ministry  was  highly  useful  to  the 
church  and  to  his  fellow  men.    In  his  last  days  he  said:    "It  is 


132 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


glorious  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  I  had  hoped  to  live  a  few  years 
longer  to  work  for  Jesus."  To  his  wife  he  said:  "Oh,  I  wish 
you  could  see  what  I  do.  Heaven  is  opened,  I  see  the  throne  of 
God,  and  there  is  a  place  for  me." 

He  was  a  valuable  and  successful  worker,  a  loyal  and  true 
Christian  minister,  useful  in  life  and  triumphant  in  death. 
Robert  W.  Peebles. 

R.  W.  Peebles  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  in  1862  was 
received  into  the  Oneida  Conference.  In  1871  he  came  to  Iowa 
and  was  admitted  into  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference.  His  charges 
were,  Ackley,  Vinton,  Mount  Vernon,  Fayette,  Mason  City,  Dubuque 
District,  and  Marion.  After  retiring  from  active  work  he  re- 
moved to  Vancouver,  Washington,  where  he  died  May  4,  1900. 

R.  W.  Peebles  was  a  Christian  gentleman,  a  student,  an  able 
minister,  and  an  honest,  upright  citizen.  He  was  endowed  with 
large  social  qualities,  which  made  him  a  coveted  guest  in  the  social 
circle.  His  genial,  gentle  Christian  spirit  made  him  a  great  favor- 
ite among  his  people  and  upon  his  charges,  while  his  pulpit  utter- 
ances "fed  the  flock  of  God." 

His  pastor  at  Vancouver  wrote:  "His  occasional  sermons 
preached  in  his  church  were  earnest,  thoughtful  and  spiritual, 
and  two  weeks  before  he  died,  while  he  was  leading  the  congre- 
gation in  morning  prayers,  a  most  gracious  and  wonderful  bap- 
tism of  Divine  power  descended  upon  the  people." 

He  was  a  good  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith,  and 
having  finished  his  course  with  joy,  he  rests  from  his  labors. 
Henry  W.  Reed,  D.D. 

H.  W.  Reed  was  born  in  New  York  in  1813,  admitted  into 
the  New  York  Conference  in  1833,  transferred  to  the  Illinois  Con- 
ference in  1835  and  stationed  at  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Here  he  found 
the  log  meeting-house  erected  a  year  before,  but  no  parsonage. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


With  his  own  hands  he  prepared  a  rude  cabin  which  became  a 
home  for  himself  and  young  wife.  During  the  first  winter  a  babe 
was  born  to  them  which  in  consequence  of  exposure  sickened  and 
died.  Brother  Reed  himself  made  a  little  coffin  and  dug  a  small 
grave  in  the  hillside  and  laid  the  precious  babe  away,  with  no 
service  save  his  own  prayer  to  God  for  comfort  and  strength. 

After  preaching  two  years  in  Dubuque,  he  labored  one  year 
at  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin,  one  year  as  missionary  to  the  Oneida 
Indians  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  one  year  on  Platteville  Circuit, 
a  four  weeks  circuit  with  twenty-six  appointments.  From  1840 
to  1842  he  traveled  Platteville  District  which  extended  from 
Prairie  Du  Chein  to  Green  Bay  and  included  twelve  to  fifteen 
thousand  square  miles  of  almost  unsettled  wilderness.  In  1843 
after  preaching  one  year  in  Galena,  Illinois,  he  became  presiding 
elder  of  Dubuque  District,  which  embraced  all  the  settled  portion 
of  northern  Iowa.  From  this  time  until  1872,  his  work  was  within 
the  bounds  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference;  twenty  years  of  that 
time  he  was  a  presiding  elder.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conferences  of  1844,  1848,  1852,  1856,  1860  and  1868.  He  was 
an  original  member  both  of  the  Iowa  and  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conferences. 

He  was  a  strongly  built  man,  a  little  above  medium  size, 
with  a  broad,  deep  chest,  massive  brow  and  sunken  eyes.  He 
was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  preachers  of  the  olden  time;  frank, 
genial,  honest,  unselfish  and  true.  He  was  an  able  presiding 
elder,  clear-headed  and  far-seeing.  In  the  pulpit  he  was  deliberate 
and  instructive,  in  counsel  wise  and  discriminative,  in  athninis- 
tration  of  discipline  mild,  firm  and  judicious.  In  his  judgment 
and  influence,  his  fidelity  and  wisdom  in  guiding  the  affairs  of  the 
church,  he  did  more  than  any  other  man  to  give  shape  and  per- 
manence to  Methodism  in  Iowa.  Altogether  he  was  one  of  the  few 


134 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


men  fitted  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  great  church  in  a  new 
country,  or  to  guide  the  affairs  of  state  in  perilous  times. 

In  1872  he  was  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  Agent  for  the  Blackfeet  Indians,  a  dangerous  tribe  on 
the  upper  Missouri  River.  Here  he  served  four  years,  sometimes 
in  great  personal  danger.  He  also  twice  visited  the  Chippewas, 
three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  of  Saint  Paul.  He  was  after- 
wards one  of  the  United  States  Commissioners  with  Generals 
Curtis  and  Sibley  to  treat  with  all  the  Indians  on  the  Missouri 
River  from  Sioux  City  to  the  Yellowstone. 

Thus  the  ministry  of  this  man  extended  through  a  period 
ot  fifty-six  years.  In  his  Conference  he  took  a  deep  and  earnest 
interest  in  the  entire  work  of  the  church.  In  all  the  relations  held, 
his  counsel  and  work  were  of  great  value.  He  died  in  Baldwin, 
Kansas,  August  26,  1889.  One  who  was  with  him  at  the  close 
of  his  life,  wrote: 

"This  charming  light  has  gone  out;  this  man  of  God  is  taken; 
and  the  vacancy  reminds  us  that  there  is  another  redeemed  one  in 
heaven.  His  death  was  as  beautiful  as  his  life.  The  shadow  of 
death  seemed  not  to  be  there,  for  he  entered  the  city  of  God  with 
the  light  of  eternity  upon  him." 

James  Harris  Rhea,  D.D. 
Dr.  Rhea  was  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  was  admitted  into 
the  Central  Illinois  Conference  in  1862  and  was  transferred  to  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  1871.  He  served  Clinton,  Dubuque, 
Cedar  Falls,  Davenport,  Mount  Vernon,  Grace  Church  Waterloo, 
Toledo,  Marshalltown,  Iowa  Falls,  and  again  at  Clinton  where  he 
died  May  27,  1896. 

On  the  Sabbath  previous  to  his  departure  he  preached  in 
the  morning  and  took  part  in  the  evening  service.    Only  the  day 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


before  his  death  he  preached  a  funeral  sermon  and  participated 
in  a  union  prayer  meeting. 

He  was  a  man  of  wonderful  energy  and  an  indefatigable 
worker.  The  charges  he  served  indicate  the  quality  of  his  work. 

Dr.  Rhea  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence  and  positive 
convictions,  and  exercised  an  influence  and  power  in  his  life  that 
were  far-reaching.  As  a  preacher  he  was  profound,  instructive 
and  earnest.  He  was  generous,  sympathetic  and  always  hopeful. 
He  was  a  true  friend,  in  whose  friendship  there  was  genuine  unself- 
ishness and  candor.  He  went  from  a  life  of  busy  toil  and  care 
to  render  an  account  of  his  stewardship,  to  meet  and  greet  many 
to  whom  he  pointed  out  the  way  of  life.  The  Conference  lost  in 
him  a  most  efficient  pastor,  a  faithful  worker,  a  successful  minister 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

RUFUS  RiCKER. 

Rufus  Ricker  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1S21  and  came  with 
his  parents  to  Iowa  in  1836,  settling  near  Davenport.  In  1848 
he  definitely  sought  and  consciously  received  the  grace  of  heart- 
purity.  In  1851  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Iowa  Confer- 
ence, and  was  in  continuous  service  for  thirty-eight  years.  He 
became  a  supernumerary  in  1889,  and  from  that  time  labored  and 
preached  as  an  evangelist.  After  three  j^ears  of  such  service  he 
thus  wrote:  "Forty-one  years  in  the  ministry  does  not  in  the 
least  take  away  my  desire  to  preach  the  blessed  Gospel ;  but  only 
gives  me  a  great  longing  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  glory  of 
God's  cause  in  the  earth.  I  had  rather  be  poor  and  go  forth  to 
win  souls  to  Christ  than  to  have  all  the  treasures  and  pleasures 
of  this  world.  Now,  blessed  Lord,  my  earnest  prayer  is,  open 
my  way  to  accomplish  thy  will  for  time  to  come." 

In  less  than  six  weeks  that  prayer  was  answered  by  his  trans- 
lation to  heaven,  where  all  God's  servants  "serve  Him,"  doing 
His  will  perfectly. 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Without  the  learning  of  the  schools,  though  a  most  liberal 
patron,  and  for  many  years  a  trustee  of  Cornell  College,  without 
drill  in  elocution  or  grace  of  manner,  or  tact  in  ordinary  address, 
Rufus  Ricker  was  a  good  and  useful  man.  There  was  a  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity  in  him  that  commanded  the  confidence  of 
nearly  every  one  who  knew  him,  if  not  for  the  man  himself,  cer- 
tainly for  the  grace  of  God  so  manifestly  in  him.  The  Holy  Spirit 
reigned  in  his  heart,  and  directed  and  empowered  him  to  lead 
hundreds  of  souls  into  the  kingdom  of  God  and  to  the  richest  pos- 
sessions of  grace.  Surely  this  venerable  servant  of  Christ  is  now 
invested  with  a  crown  and  honors  that  shall  never  fade  away.  He 
died  at  Saint  Ansgar,  November  22,  1892. 

Joshua  H.  Rigby,  D.D. 
Dr.  Rigby  was  a  native  of  Iowa.  He  was  born  in  Cedar 
County  in  1844,  graduated  from  Cornell  College  with  highest  hon- 
ors in  1867,  graduated  from  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  in  1869, 
and  was  received  the  same  year  into  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference. 
He  was  three  years  principal  of  Epworth  Seminary,  seventeen 
years  in  the  pastorate,  and  nearly  two  years  presiding  elder  of 
Dubuque  District. 

As  a  pastor  Dr.  Rigby  was  tender  and  faithful,  carrying  his 
personal  ministrations  where  they  were  most  needed  as  well  as 
most  welcome.  His  preaching  was  instructive,  spiritual  and  edi- 
fying. He  deemed  it  his  highest  privilege  and  honor  to  be  a 
minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

As  a  presiding  elder,  he  secured  in  a  marked  degree  the  con- 
fidence and  affection  of  his  preachers  and  people  by  his  wise  coun- 
sels and  fidelity  to  their  interests.  His  preachers  confided  in 
him  their  wants  and  trials  as  in  a  personal  friend. 

His  home  life  was  beautiful.  In  that  charmed  circle  he  loved 
and  was  loved  with  all  the  intensity  of  domestic  affection.  The 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


foundation  of  all  his  excellencies  was  his  deep,  abiding,  and  joy- 
ful Christian  experience.  When  he  surrendered  to  Christ,  the 
surrender  was  complete.  Henceforth  the  Bible  was  his  guide 
and  his  life  wholly  given  to  the  service  of  God.  As  a  friend,  hus- 
band, father,  minister,  he  held  himself  to  the  highest  standard 
of  conscientious  service,  and  he  never  turned  aside  from  his  holy 
calling. 

Dr.  Rigby  was  joyous,  yet  grave.  He  loved  laughter  but 
not  lightness.  He  could  neither  flatter  nor  be  flattered.  No  one 
could  question  his  motives.  He  was  one  of  the  most  unselfish  of 
men;  forgetful  of  self  and  mindful  only  of  others,  he  lived  to  do 
good  and  to  bless  the  world,  fruly  he  was  one  of  God's  noble- 
men. His  death  seemed  to  be  premature.  Why  should  he  be 
taken  at  the  early  age  of  forty-eight? 

Well  has  the  poet  said: 

"Who  falls  for  God  and  man,  he  never  dies — 
But  deathless,  liveth  forever  in  the  skies; 
A  king  among  the  saints  in  Paradise." 

Daniel  Sheffer. 
Daniel  Sheffer  was  born  in  Liberty,  Pennsylvania,  in  1835. 
He  was  converted  in  1852,  and  in  1856  was  admitted  into  the  Balti- 
more Conference,  and  in  1869  was  transferred  to  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference.  During  his  pastorate,  east  and  west,  he  was  given 
leading  appointments.  He  was  indeed  faithful  and  earnest  in 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  As  a  preacher  he  was  strong,  clear  and 
evangelical.  In  his  appointments,  he  brought  things  to  pass. 
He  was  presiding  elder  of  Cedar  Falls  District  from  1882  to  1886. 
In  no  position  did  he  shun  to  declare  "the  whole  counsel  of  God." 
His  sermons  showed  carefvd  preparation.  With  the  greatest  de- 
light he  visited  the  homes  of  the  people,  neglecting  none  in  his. 
ministry  from  house  to  house. 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


He  died  in  Cedar  Falls  in  1905,  in  perfect  resignation  to  the 
will  of  God. 

Richard  Swearingen,  D.D. 
Richard  Swearingen  was  born  in  West  Virginia  in  1825,  and 
came  with  his  father's  family  to  Iowa  in  1837,     In  1846  he  was 
received  on  trial  into  the  Iowa  Conference  and  became  an  orig- 
inal member  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference. 

In  spite  of  all  embarrassments  and  barriers  to  study  in  the 
way  of  a  pioneer  preacher,  he  gained  a  large  fund  of  knowledge. 
He  had  a  tenacious  memory,  and  knowledge  once  gained  remained 
with  him.  His  reading  was  intensive  rather  than  extensive;  he 
mastered  the  thought  in  any  book  that  he  read.  He  knew  the 
Bible  as  every  preacher  ought  to  know  it.  He  knew  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Bible  and  got  them  at  first  hand.  Great  familiarity 
with  the  whole  Bible,  together  with  a  keen  critical  faculty  enabled 
him  to  get  as  much  of  the  deeper  hidden  meaning  of  Scripture  as  is 
usual  to  the  best  of  minds  of  scholastic  training. 

Dr.  Swearingen  had  a  religious  experience  in  which  uncer- 
tainty had  no  place.  There  was  a  time  in  the  early  part  of  his 
ministry  when,  according  to  his  own  oft-repeated  statements,  he 
"weighed  anchor,  cut  the  cable,  hoisted  sails  and  launched  out 
into  the  fathomless,  boundless  ocean  of  God's  love."  To  him 
ever  afterwards  the  sailing  was  better,  less  tumult  of  waves,  winds 
more  favorable,  skies  clearer,  and  the  sun's  shining  an  ineffable 
bliss. 

He  served  about  thirty  different  charges,  from  one  to  five 
years  each.  He  traveled  some  of  the  largest  circuits  on  the  very 
frontier  of  advancing  civilization,  and  worked  faithfully  and  effi- 
ciently in  laying  the  foundations  of  Methodism  in  Iowa.  His  earli- 
est labors  bore  fruit,  and  many  were  led  to  Christ,  and  his  useful- 
ness increased  with  his  years.    His  was  a  stalwart,  rugged  frame 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


and  powerful  voice,  and  with  his  commanding  presence,  clear 
and  forcible  style,  he  was  an  impressive  preacher. 

Twice  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference,  in  1872 
and  in  1880. 

At  the  session  of  the  Conference  held  at  Osage  in  1901,  two 
weeks  before  his  death,  he  preached  by  request  of  the  Conference, 
what  was  known  as  his  great  doctrinal  sermon,  from  the  text, 
"What  think  ye  of  Christ?  Whose  son  is  He?"  and  for  two  hours, 
he  held  his  audience  deeply  interested. 

After  a  few  days  illness,  he  died  in  Marshalltown,  October  21, 
1901. 

Charles  Henry  Taylor. 
C.  H.  Taylor  was  a  native  of  Devonshire,  England.  He  came 
to  America  in  1855  and  was  admitted  into  the  Upper  Iowa  Con- 
ference in  1871.  His  ministry  was  eminently  successful.  As 
pastor  and  presiding  elder,  he  was  beloved  by  all.  Association 
wdth  him  was  a  benediction.  He  was  a  plain  every  day  Methodist 
preacher,  who,  feeling  himself  called  of  God  to  preach  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  went  about  his  work,  without  display,  but  with  a 
singleness  of  heart  and  a  nobility  of  purpose  that  ga^'e  him  suc- 
cess in  the  winning  of  souls  and  the  building  up  of  the  church. 
He  possessed  in  a  marked  degree  that  ciuality  of  common  sense 
which  is  so  essential  to  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  As  a  pastor, 
he  had  perhaps  no  superior  and  few  equals  in  the  Conference. 
All  doors  were  open  to  his  coming,  and  j^oung  and  old  alike  gave 
him  welcome.  He  was  an  illustration  of  a  beautiful  Christian 
manhood.  At  his  death  he  left  the  heritage  of  a  stainless  name, 
the  memory  of  a  devoted  husband  and  father,  and  an  example  of 
what  a  man  may  become  and  do  as  a  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  died  at  Burbank, 
California,  October  12,  1905. 


140 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Joel  B.  Taylor.  • 
One  of  the  most  successful  pioneer  preachers  of  the  Confer- 
ence was  Joel  B.  Taylor.  He  was  born  in  east  Tennessee  in  1817, 
came  to  Iowa  in  1836,  was  converted  in  1842,  and  admitted  into 
the  Rock  River  Conference  and  stationed  at  Pleasant  Valley, 
Scott  County,  Iowa,  in  1843.  He  labored  until  1881,  when  he  died 
while  pastor  at  Epworth.  The  societies  of  Epworth,  Camanche 
and  Clinton  acknowledge  him  as  founder.  He  built  six  churches 
and  three  parsonages,  besides  repairing  much  church  property  and 
raising  several  grievous  church  debts.  He  was  elected  delegate  to 
the  General  Conference  in  1876. 

He  was  of  average  weight,  stoutly  built,  had  a  fine  voice  and 
possessed  great  powers  of  endurance. 

J.  B.  Taylor  was  an  able  preacher.  His  style  was  peculiar, 
sharp,  clear,  and  direct,  and  though  somewhat  disconnected, 
was  singularly  effective.  He  was  a  man  "full  of  faith  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  and  especially  gifted  in  prayer.  During  the  thirty- 
eight  years  of  his  ministry  he  saw  no  less  than  two  thousand  con- 
versions. He  preached  his  last  sermon  four  weeks  before  his  death. 
It  was  full  of  fire  and  spirituality.  He  retained  consciousness  to 
the  hour  of  dissolution,  expressing  unbounded  confidence  in  his 
blessed  Master.  He  died  as  he  lived,  and  many  will  arise  and  call 
him  blessed. 

Landon  Taylor. 
In  the  early  days  of  Iowa  Methodism,  few  names  were  more 
familiar  or  more  redolent  of  pleasant  memories  than  that  of  Lan- 
don Taylor.  To  multitudes  in  Iowa  he  was  a  familiar  friend, 
beloved  as  one  of  their  own  family.  None  knew  him  but  to  love 
him,  and  those  who  knew  him  best  loved  him  most.  His  ministry 
was  a  perpetual  benediction  where  he  served,  and  his  memory 
will  long  be  cherished  in  the  household  of  faith. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


141 


Landon  Taylor  was  born  near  Elmira,  New  York.  Attaining 
his  majority  in  1834,  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  in  1845  came  to  Iowa 
and  was  received  into  the  Iowa  Conference.  In  1856  he  became 
an  original  member  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  and  the  secre- 
tary at  its  first  session.  Revivals  attended  his  ministry  where- 
ever  he  labored.  While  pastor  at  "  Old  Zion,"  Burlington,  in  a  most 
gracious  revival,  he  who  was  afterwards  known  as  Chaplain  and 
Bishop  McCabe  was  among  the  number  of  his  converts.  At  the  first 
session  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  at  solicitation  of  Bishop 
Janes,  who  presided,  he  cheerfully  accepted  the  extreme  outpost 
of  the  Conference,  as  presiding  elder  of  Sioux  City  District  and  pas- 
tor at  Sioux  City,  A  wide  expanse  of  unsettled  prairie  separated 
this  new  region  and  the  principal  territory  of  the  Conference.  For 
two  consecutive  years,  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  endured 
hardship  and  peril  from  snow  storm  and  Indians.  In  1860  his 
health  became  impaired  from  the  exposures  and  hardships  of  the 
itinerancy,  but  he  did  not  finally  receive  superannuation  until 
1874. 

In  natural  endowment,  social  accomplishments,  general 
scholarship  and  forensic  power,  Landon  Taylor  was  a  good  ex- 
ample of  the  average  Methodist  preacher;  but  in  simplicity  and 
power  of  faith,  devoutness  of  spirit,  singleness  of  purpose,  and  a 
constancy  of  devotion  to  his  work  he  was  rarely  equaled.  So  his 
ministry  was  a  glorious  success.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he 
modestly  made  profession  of  perfect  love,  and  rejoiced  in  it,  and 
lived  under  its  dominion.  He  never  forgot  that  his  divine  com- 
mission was  to  "preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature  ,"  and  so 
his  preaching  was  adapted  to  all  classes.  He  preached  a  whole 
gospel,  repentance  and  faith,  and  forgiveness,  and  sanctification 
and  full  redemption.  But  his  chief  excellence  was  as  a  pastor. 
"Feed  my  sheep,"  "Feed  my  lambs,"  seemed  ever  sounding  in 
his  soul.    He  fed  the  flock  of  God.    He  led  them  into  "green  pas- 


142 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


tures,"  and  by  the  "still  waters,"  where  his  own  soul  found  refresh- 
ment and  rest.  His  prudence  and  purity  of  speech  and  character 
secured  him  a  welcome  into  every  family,  and  he  was  a  great  favor- 
ite with  the  children. 

Near  the  close  of  his  life  Landon  Taylor  wrote  as  follows: 
"When  I  united  with  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1845,  it  was 
truly  the  day  of  log  cabins,  corn  bread  and  crust  coffee;  but  now, 
the  cabin  has  become  a  mansion,  and  wealth  and  luxury  have  suc- 
ceeded poverty  and  simplicity.  I  have  traveled  on  from  our  first 
history  through  all  the  stages  of  its  privations,  its  growth  and  its 
history.  My  way  has  been  marked  by  God's  pillar  of  cloud  by 
day  and  fire  by  night,  and  especially  His  presence  has  been  with 
me  to  impart  victory  in  every  trying  hour;  and  shall  I  say  too 
much  when  I  add  that  the  joy  and  satisfaction  now  felt  in  view 
of  past  successes,  present  honors  and  future  glories,  repay  me  well 
for  all  trials  endured.  As  for  privations,  exposures,  and  trying 
experiences — these  are  the  minister's  diamonds  which  wiU  cause 
his  crown  to  shine  when  the  rewards  of  ease  are  forgotten.  I 
doubt  not  that  in  the  awards  of  our  heavenly  inheritance  these 
offerings  of  personal  suffering  and  endurance  for  'Christ's  sake,' 
will  secure  the  highest  honor  and  the  greatest  bliss." 
He  received  his  crown  April  19,  1885. 

Frederick  C.  Wolfe. 
F.  C.  Wolfe  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1824,  joined  the  Cincinnati 
Conference  in  1854  and  transferred  to  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
in  1857. 

In  1884  he  superannuated,  after  thirty-four  consecutive 
years  of  labor  in  the  itinerancy.  Eight  years  of  that  time  he  served 
as  presiding  elder  and  twenty-six  in  the  pastorate.  He  was  a 
delegate  to  the  General  Conference  in  1880.  He  was  a  man  of 
fine  ability  and  noble  character.    He  loved  the  Bible  and  was  an 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


intelligent  and  able  preacher  of  the  word.  After  superannuation 
and  until  the  death  of  his  companion  he  made  his  home  in  Belle 
Plaine,  where  he  was  highly  respected  and  loved.  His  last  sick- 
ness was  very  brief  and  he  retained  his  consciousness  to  the  end. 
He  entered  into  rest  January  15,  1900. 

Alcixous  Young. 
One  of  the  original  members  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference 
was  Alcinous  Young.  He  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1796, 
converted  in  1827  and  admitted  into  the  Pittsburg  Conference  in 
1828.  In  every  charge  he  had  most  gracious  revivals  and  it  is 
estimated  that  during  the  thirty  years  of  his  active  ministry 
thousands  were  Ijrought  to  Christ. 

In  1846  he  was  tranf erred  to  the  Iowa  Conference  and  was 
appointed  successively  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa  City,  Burlington, 
Dubuque  District  and  Iowa  City  District.  The  latter  district 
when  traveled  by  Elder  Young  extended  fi'om  the  mouth  of  the 
Cedar  River  to  the  Minnesota  line  and  included  settlements  on 
both  sides  of  the  Iowa  and  Cedar  Rivers.  So  great  was  the  toil 
and  exposure  that  his  health  became  impaired  and  he  rendered 
but  little  service  after  leaving  the  district. 

Alcinous  Young  was  a  man  to  be  trusted.  Perhaps  few  men 
in  the  ministry  applied  themselves  more  diligently  to  the  work 
in  hand  than  he.  In  the  earlier  part  of  his  life,  he  secured  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  God's  word.  The  Greek  testament  became 
his  constant  companion.  He  was  a  good  thinker,  a  sound  preacher 
and  a  successfid  debater.  At  times  his  discourses  were  accom- 
panied with  great  spiritual  power.  Always  and  everywhere  in 
each  responsible  place  in  the  church,  his  work  was  well  done.  For 
nineteen  years  he  was  on  the  superannuate  list  of  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference,  and  was  loved  and  revered  by  the  entire  Conference. 
In  his  last  brief  illness  his  mind  was  clear  and  he  talked  freely  of 


144 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


going  to  meet  loved  ones  on  the  other  shore.  When  nearing  the 
end  he  said  exultingly:  "I  do  not  think  this  is  dying,  I  am  just 
beginning  to  live.  Christians  do  not  die."  And  thus  in  holy 
triumph  his  spirit  passed  away. 

He  died  in  Marion,  March  30,  1876. 

Emerson  K.  Young,  D.D. 

Among  the  notable  young  men  raised  up  within  the  Confer- 
ence, none  were  superior  to  Dr.  E.  K.  Young.  He  was  born  in 
Syracuse,  New  York,  early  came  to  Iowa,  graduated  from  Cor- 
nell College  in  1861,  and  was  admitted  into  the  Conference  in 
1863.  He  rapidly  rose  to  prominence  in  the  Conference  and  dur- 
ing twenty-one  years  he  served  the  best  charges,  including  Marion, 
Iowa  City,  Cedar  Falls,  Cedar  Rapids,  Davenport  and  two  terms 
at  Dubuque.  He  afterwards  preached  three  years  at  First 
Church,  Des  Moines,  three  years  at  First  Church,  Akron,  Ohio,  three 
years  at  Grace  Church,  Philadelphia,  and  at  New  Britain,  Connec- 
ticut, until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign. 

Dr.  Young  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  mental  powers, 
and  cultivated  his  intellect  by  familiarity  with  the  best  books 
and  his  style  by  much  writing.  He  was  an  easy,  graceful  and  elo- 
quent speaker  in  the  pulpit  and  on  the  platform.  His  career  of 
thirty-three  years  shows  a  speedy  ascent  to  and  permanence  at  a 
high  altitude  under  circumstances  which  required  the  character- 
istics, attainments  and  achievements  which  inspire  and  perpet- 
uate confidence.  He  was  genial  in  manner,  versatile  and  delight- 
ful in  conversation,  magnetic  in  personality,  and  won  love  and 
gained  respect  in  every  church  he  served.  These  qualities  of 
spirit,  so  attractive  in  earlier  life,  were  chastened  and  developed 
by  deeper  experiences,  and  shone  more  brightly  in  the  later 
years  of  his  life.    He  died  in  1895. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


Laymen. 
Albert  Boomer. 

Dr.  Albert  Boomer  was  born  in  New  York  in  1824.  He  came 
to  Delhi  in  1854,  where  he  lived  till  his  death  in  1899. 

Dr.  Boomer  served  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the  27th  Regiment 
Iowa  Infantry  for  two  years  but  resigned  on  account  of  sickness. 
He  served  in  the  Iowa  House  of  Representatives  in  1866-67  and  in 
the  State  Senate  1872-74.  His  was  a  life  of  energy  and  activity 
in  behalf  of  humanity.  He  had  a  high  ideal  of  public  and  social 
life  and  sought  to  realize  this  even  at  the  expense  of  popularity 
among  certain  classes.  He  was  identified  with  every  object  and 
every  enterprise  that  had  the  welfare  of  the  community  in  view. 
In  the  Legislature  and  Senate  he  earnestly  sought  the  prohibition 
of  the  liquor  traffic.  As  a  member  of  the  General  Conference  he 
was  a  valued  member  of  some  of  the  most  important  committees. 
As  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  he  was  unwearied 
in  his  devotion,  and  left  behind  a  noble  and  unblemished  record 
of  a  well-spent  life. 

Dennis  N.  Cooley. 

Among  the  noble  laymen  of  the  Conference  was  Honorable 
Dennis  N.  Cooley,  of  Dubuque.  He  was  born  in  New  England,  and 
in  1854  he  came  with  his  young  and  estimable  wife  to  Dubuque  and 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  law.  They  at  once  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Dubuque  and  from  the  first  were 
among  the  most  active  workers. 

Mr.  Cooley  soon  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession,  won  pop- 
ular favor,  acquired  property,  attained  political  distinction  and 
made  the  church  of  his  fellowship  full  partner  in  all  his  prosper- 
ity. He  filled  with  ability  and  fidelity  positions  of  responsibil- 
ity in  the  state,  in  the  nation,  in  private  business  relations  and  in 
the  church.    He  was  a  lay  delegate  in  the  General  Conference  in 


146 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


1872  and  1876,  was  elected  state  Senator  for  a  term,  was  also 
United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  and  for  twenty-one 
years  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Dubuque.  He  en- 
dowed the  chair  of  Civil  Engineering  in  Cornell  College.  Hisbouy- 
ant  spirit  and  cheerful  face  were  a  perennial  source  of  blessing  in 
his  home,  his  church,  his  business  and  social  relations. 

Alexander  Crossan. 
Alexander  Crossan  was  born  in  Ireland  of  Scotch  parents,  and 
was  married  in  1835  to  Miss  Fanny  Long,  with  whom  he  lived 
fifty-seven  years.  He  died  near-Eldora,  Iowa,  in  1899,  being  past 
ninety-two  years  of  age.  He  was  gloriously  converted  in  early 
life  and  united  with  the  Wesleyan  Church.  On  coming  to  Amer- 
ica he  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  until  his 
death  he  was  a  firm  defender  and  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  church. 
He  loved  her  doctrines,  her  experience,  her  discipline  and  her  min- 
isters, and  yet  he  had  charity  for  all  who  differed  from  him  in  be- 
lief. His  criticisms  were  many  times  most  severe  and  cutting, 
but  back  of  all  was  a  heart  full  of  love.  He  was  quick  in  repartee, 
keen  in  wit,  and  unexcelled  in  debate.  He  was  a  great  lover  of 
his  country. 

Three  sons  joined  the  army  in  1861,  two  of  whom  were  killed 
on  the  battlefield  and  one  died  from  wounds.  Though  a  great 
lover  of  books,  his  greatest  delight  was  in  the  Holy  Bible,  very 
much  of  which  he  committed  to  memory.  He  wrote  in  his  auto- 
biography, "I  have  read  the  Bible  through  a  hundred  times  and 
every  time  I  found  it  a  satisfying  portion  to  my  soul." 

He  condemned  all  display  in  giving,  but  was  known  to  be 
liberal  to  the  church,  while  the  widow,  the  orphan  and  the  afflicted 
knew  the  blessing  of  his  charity  to  them.  His  dying  experiences 
and  his  farewell  words  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  many  who 
received  his  parting  blessings.    His  work  was  well  done  and  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


147 


triumphant  death  most  glorious.  For  him  it  was  beautiful  to  live 
and  glorious  to  die. 

Among  his  many  beautiful  expressions  were  these:  "Here I 
have  around  me  all  my  friends  and  children  who  try  to  make  me 
comfortable.  Kind  friends  to  call  and  see  me  and  try  to  make  my 
pillow  and  rest  comfortable,  but  the  Son  of  Man  had  not  where 
to  lay  his  head  and  more  than  that  thej^  placed  a  cruel  crown  of 
thorns  on  his  head;  and  while  you  give  me  cooling  water  with 
kindly  hands,  they  gave  him  gall  and  vinegar."  Again:  "Paul 
was  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven,  but  God  has  brought  the  third 
heaven  down  into  my  soul."  "  Not  the  least  shadow  comes  across 
my  vision."  "It  is  so  beautiful  to  die."  His  funeral  text,  select- 
ed by  himself,  was,  "Return  unto  thy  rest,  O,  my  soul,  for  the 
Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee."  As  he  wished,  the  funeral 
occasion  was  one  of  rejoicing  rather  than  mourning,  and  at  his 
request  all  signs  of  gloom  were  absent  and  only  shouts  of  victory 
heard  over  the  joyful  fact  that  another  redeemed  one  had  answered 
the  call,  "Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

John  P.  Farley. 

John  P.  Farley  came  to  Dubuque  in  1837  and  united  with  the 
church,  worshipping  in  the  log  church,  the  first  built  in  Iowa.  He 
was  engaged  in  merchandising  for  twenty  years  and  was  one  of 
the  most  active  and  honored  business  men  in  upper  Iowa.  He 
was  at  the  head  of  several  commerical  enterprises  and  yet  he  al- 
ways found  time  to  attend  the  mid-week  prayer  meeting.  He 
was  an  earnest,  loyal  Methodist.  As  a  testimonial  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  brethren  of  the  church,  he 
was  chosen  without  effort  on  his  part  to  represent  them  in  the 
General  Conference  of  1888.  He  was  faithful  in  his  stewardship, 
and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  most  substantial  pillars  of 
the  church  in  Dubuque. 


148 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


For  fifty  years  he  was  in  the  forefront  of  everything  that  was 
for  the  advantage  of  the  city,  the  glory  of  God,  or  the  best  inter- 
ests of  his  fellow  men.  Large  of  capacity,  strict  in  integrity, 
simple,  honest  and  true,  his  life  was  full  of  usefulness.  He  was 
a  class  leader  in  the  early  church,  and  was  Sunday  School  super- 
intendent. He  was  a  steward,  looking  after  the  details  of  daily 
expenses.  He  was  a  trustee,  ever  anxious  to  do  the  greatest  and 
best  thing  for  the  largest  development  of  church  life. 

Hiram  Price. 

Hiram  Price  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1810.  He  came 
to  Iowa  in  1844  and  located  in  Davenport  where  he  opened  a  store. 
He  was  a  radical  advocate  of  temperance,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Order  of  The  Sons  of  Temperance.  For  some 
years  he  edited  the  "Temperance  Organ,"  a  state  paper  devoted 
to  prohibition.  When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  began  he  gave  the 
heartiest  support  to  the  government.  From  the  beginning  he 
was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Davenport.  Liberally  he  gave  his  time  and  money  for 
its  support.  His  beautiful  home  and  family  were  ever 
ready  to  receive  the  ministers  of  the  gospel.  He  was  twice 
elected  as  lay  member  of  the  General  Conference  and  five 
times  elected  to  Congress.  Afterwards  he  served  for  four  years  as 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  at  Washington.  A  better  ex- 
ample of  true  Christian  manhood  does  not  adorn  the  pages  of 
American  History  than  that  of  the  Honorable  Hiram  Price. 

The  loan  fund  originated  in  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  in 
1866,  with  a  single  gift  of  $1,000  from  the  Honorable  Hiram  Price, 
who  was  Dr.  Kynett's  life-long  friend.  Mr.  Price  gave  the  first  $1,000 
towards  the  permanent  endowment  fund  of  the  Mutual  Aid  Soci- 
ety, now  a  part  of  the  permanent  conference  claimant  fund. 

James  E.  Robertson. 

J.  E.  Robertson  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1821  and  came  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


149 


Fayette  County,  Iowa,  in  1849.  In  his  home  the  first  Methodist 
sermon  in  the  vicinity  of  Fayette  was  preached  on  the  ninth  of 
January,  1850.  At  this  meeting  a  class  was  formed  and  J.  E. 
Robertson  was  appointed  leader.  In  this  office  he  continued  until 
his  death  in  1904.  For  years  he  was  a  leading  merchant  of  Fay- 
ette. He  was  a  prominent  factor  in  the  founding  of  Upper  Iowa 
University,  giving  thousands  of  dollars  thereto.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  university  from  1855,  the  time 
of  its  building,  until  1895  when  he  gracefully  committed  that 
charge  to  younger  hands.  During  a  considerable  time  he  was 
the  treasurer  both  of  the  church  and  university. 

Mr.  Robertson  was  quiet  and  undemonstrative,  modest  and 
unassuming,  but  faithful,  earnest  and  true.  He  was  loved  and 
revered  by  aU  who  knew  him. 

W.  W.  Sanborn. 
Among  the  truly  noble,  efiicient  men  in  whom  the  state  has 
been  honored,  was  W.  W.  Sanborn,  of  Lyons,  for  years  the  archi- 
tect of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  Chm-ch  Extension  Society.  He 
was  born  in  1827  in  the  state  of  Maine  and  was  possessed  of  the 
sturdy  New  England  character.  He  came  to  Lyons  in  1854. 
There  he  lost  his  property  in  1857,  but  came  out  of  the  ordeal  with 
honor  untarnished.  For  many  years  he  was  teacher  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  School  and  an  earnest  worker  in  the 
church.  His  solid  judgment,  common  sense,  and  large  business 
capacity,  together  with  a  warm  and  willing  heart  made  him  a 
pillar  of  support.  He  was  a  worthy  representative  of  the  noble, 
liberal,  and  large  hearted  class  of  men  that  constitute  the  laymen 
of  the  church. 

Mrs.  Reverend  J.  H.  Stevens. 
Among  ministers  and  laymen,  none  are  more  worthy  of  men- 
tion in  this  history  than  Mrs.  Stevens.    Pedee  Cooley  Stevens,  sister 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


of  Honorable  D.  N.  Cooley,  was  born  in  Nev/  Hampshire  in  1811, 
married  to  J.  H.  Stevens  in  1837,  and  after  thirty  years  in 
the  itinerant  ministry,  came  to  Iowa  in  1867  and  settled  near  Man- 
chester. After  1883  they  lived  in  tlie  town  of  Manchester  until 
their  death.  Here  they  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  in  1887, 
and  here  Mr.  Stevens  died  in  1888.  He  was  a  good  man  and  won 
many  souls  to  Christ.  Mrs.  Stevens  lived  a  widow  for  eighteen 
years,  and  died  in  1906  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years. 

The  life  of  Mrs.  Stevens  was  devoted  to  one  object,  the  spread- 
ing of  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  home  and  foreign  fields.  To  this 
end  she  denied  herself  all  but  the  bare  necessities  of  life,  and 
her  benefactions  aggregated  thousands  of  dollars.  Nothing  in  the 
church  was  foreign  to  her  thought  and  beneficence.  She  gave 
liberally  to  the  cause  of  Christian  education,  to  home  and 
foreign  missions,  to  the  freedmen,  to  church  extension,  to  the 
work  of  reform  and  to  the  poor  and  destitute. 

Mrs.  Stevens  was  a  joyful  and  triumphant  Christian,  thor- 
oughly consistent  in  her  life.  The  good  she  did,  eternity  alone  can 
reveal.  She  was  converted  when  thirteen  years  of  age  and  a  few 
years  afterward  sought  and  obtained  the  blessing  of  perfect  love, 
to  which  she  humbly  testified  with  tongue  and  life  for  over  sixty 
years.  She  walked  in  the  bright  light  of  an  unwavering  faith, 
and  none  who  knew  her  can  forget  her  abounding  zeal,  her  triumph- 
ant faith  and  her  joyful  experience.  She  was  a  Bible  Christian, 
in  the  truest  sense  of  that  word.  She  went  to  receive  her  crown 
March  20,  1906. 

Richard  Waller. 
One  of  the  most  striking  and  unique  characters  of  early  Meth- 
odism in  Iowa  was  Richard  Waller.    He  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  in  1796,  and  came  to  America  in  1834.    It  required  five 
weeks  to  cross  the  ocean  to  New  York,  and  five  weeks  more  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 


journey  to  Dubuque  by  way  of  New  Orleans.  He  was  drawn  to 
that  region  b)^  the  lead  mines  as  he  himself  was  accvistomed  to 
both  mining  and  smelting.  In  this  business  he  was  very  success- 
ful. He  was  also  a  devout  Christian,  having  for  many  years 
served  as  class  leader  and  local  preacher  in  England.  In  1835 
"Uncle  Dickie,"  as  he  was  called,  chopped  the  logs  and  helped 
in  building  the  first  church  in  Rockdale.  He  was  a  firm  believer 
in  total  abstinence  at  a  time  when  such  belief  had  few  followers. 

He  was  a  revivalist  of  the  old  school,  and  assisted  in  many  a 
campaign  at  the  "mourner's  bench,"  and  pointed  many  souls  to 
the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  He  was 
a  singer  of  no  mean  ability,  and  often  conducted  church  music. 
Up  to  the  very  day  of  his  death,  song  was  upon  his  lips. 

For  sixty-eight  years  he  was  a  local  preacher  and  a  great 
student  of  the  Bible.  He  was  a  most  liberal  giver  and  never  al- 
lowed a  deficit  in  his  pastor's  salary.  He  endowed  the  church  at 
Rockdale  with  one  thousand  dollars. 

On  December  31,  1888,  with  a  song  of  Zion  on  his  lips,  he 
passed  peacefully  to  the  better  country. 

Sheppard  Wilson. 

Sheppard  Wilson  was  born  in  Barnesville,  Ohio,  in  1826, 
came  to  Cedar  Falls  in  1857,  and  died  in  1902.  For  over  fifty 
years  he  was  a  most  active  and  devoted  member  of  the  church. 
His  word  and  dail}'-  living  were  an  exemplification  of  faith  and 
obedience  to  the  Master  he  so  gladly  and  cheerfully  served.  No 
service  seemed  too  great,  no  work  for  the  church  was  ever  neglected. 
It  had  right  of  way  when  personal  interests  needed  attention. 
To  his  church,  he  was  always  a  liberal  contributor  and  most  faith- 
ful attendant.  Every  public  enterprise  received  his  active  support. 
He  was  an  active  business  man  in  Cedar  Falls  for  over  thirty- 


152 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


five  years,  and  was  ever  regarded  as  a  man  of  strictest  integrity. 
He  was  a  lay  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  in  1884. 

During  the  last  five  years  of  his  life  he  was  a  great  sufferer, 
but  he  endured  patiently  and  even  cheerfully,  "as  seeing  Him 
who  is  invisible."  As  he  neared  death,  his  face  lighted  up  with 
radiance  of  victory  and  seemed  transformed  as  by  a  heavenly 
vision.  Thus  Joyfully  he  entered  the  pearly^gates  and  received 
the  welcome,  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 


STATISTICAL  TABLES 


CHAPTER  XII. 

STATISTICAL  TABLES. 

I.  Date  of  Organization  of  Churches. 
It  is  recorded  that  Bishop  Morris  in  arranging  the  first  Iowa 
District  in  1839,  "called  for  the  names  of  creeks,  groves, jprairies, 
rivers  or  anything  to  designate  the  localities  of  new-comers  "  and 
then  proceeded  to  fix  the  appointments.  The  names  and  bound- 
aries of  these  large  circuits  thus  formed  were  so  frequently  changed 
and  the  early  records  so  imperfectly  kept,  and  in  many  cases  not 
made  at  all,  that  it  is  impossible  now  to  secure  reliable  facts  concern- 
ing the  first  Methodist  services  in  many  of  the  charges.  The  first 
preaching  places  often  having  been  in  cabin  and  schoolhouse  which 
have  long  since  disappeared,  no  reference  is  made  to  them.  Ef- 
fort has  been  made  to  secure  from  the  best  available  sources,  the 
date  of  forming  the  first  class  in  existing  charges,  and  the  name 
of  the  preacher  in  charge  at  the  time.  The  table,  therefore,  as 
far  as  completed,  shows  the  earliest  date  or  beginning  of  organ- 
ized Methodism  throughout  the  Conference. 


Charge 

Date 

Preacher 

Dubuque 

1834 

Barton  H.  Randall 

Bellevue 

1836 

George  Smith 

Rockingham 

1836 

C.  D.  James 

Davenport 

1839 

B.  H.  Cart^Tight 

Maquoketa 

1839 

Wm.  Simpson 

Iowa  City 

1840 

Bartholomew  Weed 

Lyons 

1840 

B.  H.  Cart^\Tight 

Marion 

1840 

John  Hodges 

Cedar  Rapids 

1841 

S.  W.  Ingham 

Tipton 

1841 

Uriah  Ferree 

Colesburg 

1842 

Barney  White 

154 

UPPER  IOWA 

CONFERENCE 

Charge 

Date 

Preacher 

Mount  Vernon 

1848 

L.  C.  Woodford 

Volga  City- 

1849 

J.  W.  Brier 

Dyers  ville 

1850 

William  Trick 

Independence 

1850 

Harvey  Taylor 

Louden 

1850 

L.  C.  Woodford 

Fayette 

1850 

John  Hindman 

Center  Point 

1850 

Robert  G.  Hawn 

Janes  ville 

1850 

R.  Swearingen 

Decorah 

1851 

Alfred  Bishop 

Waterloo 

1851 

A.  Collins 

Epworth 

1851 

Joel  B.  Taylor 

Anamosa 

1851 

Harvey  Taylor 

Marshalltown 

1852 

S.  Dunton 

Lansing 

1852 

Alfred  Bishop 

Quasqueton 

1852 

W.  N.  Brown 

McGregor 

1852 

J.  L.  Kelley 

Rockford 

1853 

J.  Ball 

Vinton 

1853 

H.  J.  Burleigh 

Cedar  Falls 

1853 

S.  W.  Ingham 

Clarksville 

1853 

S.  W.  Ingham 

West  Union 

1853 

E.  Howard 

Strawberry  Point 

1854 

D.  M.  Stevens 

Eldora 

1854 

J.  W.  Stewart 

Floyd 

1854 

W.  P.  Holbrook 

Waukon 

1854 

John  Webb 

Lime  Springs 

1854 

A.  G.  Woods 

Waverly 

1854 

S.  W.  Ingham 

Blairstown 

1855 

W.  N.  Brown 

Manchester 

1855 

Simeon  Alger 

Toledo 

1855 

D.  H.  Peterfish 

Mitchell 

1855 

W.  P.  Holbrook 

Charles  City 

1855 

W.  P.  Holbrook 

STATISTICAL  TABLES 


Charge 

Date 

Preacher 

Iowa  Falls 

1856 

Ethan  C.  Crippen 

Frcclcricksbiirg 

1856 

C.  M.  Webster 

Clinton 

1856 

J,  B.  Taylor 

Staceyville 

1856 

Daniel  Wallis 

Slicllsburg 

1856 

B.  F.  Taylor 

Osage 

1856 

W.  P.  Holbrook 

Riceville 

1856 

W.  P.  Holbrook 

St.  Ansgar 

1856 

W.  P.  Holbrook 

Northwood 

1862 

Garner 

Hopkinton 

1862 

C.  M.  Sessions 

Clarence 

1863 

John  Scoles 

Monticello 

1863 

George  Stanley 

Farley 

XV.  vv .  iveeier 

Hampton 

loDO 

J .  yj.  VV  liKmson 

Edgewood 

1865 

J.  L.  Kelley 

Cresco 

1866 

J.  E.  Fitch 

Masonville 

1869 

H.  C.  Wells 

Nora  Springs 

1869 

J.  W.  Gould 

Center  Junction 

1872 

Z.  R.  Ward 

New  Albin 

1873 

H.  W.  Houghton 

Sumner 

1875 

Edwin  Hoskyn 

Hazelton 

1876 

Joseph  Cook 

Walker 

1876 

L.  S.  Keagle 

Arlington 

1877 

J.  F.  Hestwood 

Reinbeck 

1878 

H.  Bailey 

Conrad 

1891 

W.  H.  Clement 

II. 

A  Half  Century's 

Membership. 

The  following  table,  giving  the  total  number  of  full  members 
and  probationers  in  the  churches  of  the  Conference  for  every  year 
of  its  history,  is  fuU  of  interest  and  suggestion.  The  serious  de- 
crease of  membership  from  1861  to  1863  is  doubtless  chiefly  due 
to  the  terrible  civil  war  which  then  prevailed.    It  should  be  re- 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


membered  also  that  during  the  earlier  years  of  the  Conference 
there  was  a  large  immigration  into  Iowa,  and  especially  into  the 
Upper  Iowa  territory  which  greatly  strengthened  the  churches 
and  added  to  their  increasing  membership.  During  the  later 
years  of  the  Conference,  there  has  been  a  large  emigration  from 
the  Conference  territory,  particularly  of  the  English  speaking 
population,  into  northwestern  counties  of  Iowa  and  into  states 
west  and  north,  which  has  greatly  depleted  the  membership  of 
the  churches  and  so  retarded  their  growth.  And  yet  it  will  be 
noted  that  with  some  variations,  there  has  been  an  almost  steady 
growth  during  the  half  century. 


Year 

Full 
Members 

Loss 

Probationers 

1856 

7,687 

1,633 

1857 

8,330 

+  643 

1,547 

1858 

10,089 

+  1,759 

3,607 

1859 

10,507 

+  418 

2,073 

1860 

11,438 

+  931 

2,269 

1861 

12,455 

+  1,017 

1,497 

1862 

11,721 

—  734 

1,180 

1863 

10,137 

—1,584 

1,656 

1864 

11,053 

+  916 

1,362 

1865 

12,010 

+  967 

1,486 

1866 

13,104 

+  1,094 

1,967 

1867 

14,540 

+  1,436 

2,129 

1868 

16,014 

+  1,474 

2,056 

1869 

16,067 

+  53 

1,198 

1870 

17,602 

+  1,535 

2,179 

1871 

18,374 

+  772 

1,864 

1872 

18,679 

+  296 

1,992 

1873 

17,657 

—1,013 

1,840 

1874 

17,427 

—  230 

1,874 

A  T^TCT^Tr^  A  T 

OiAilbliCAL, 

T  C*7 

Full 

Gain  or 

Year 

Members 

Loss 

Probationers 

1875 

18,362 

+  935 

1,559 

1876 

18,679 

+  317 

1,705 

1877 

20,562 

+ 1 ,883 

2,271 

1878 

21,405 

+  843 

1,943 

1879 

21,177 

—  228 

1,469 

1880 

20,690 

—  487 

1,349 

1881 

19,892 

—  798 

1,159 

1882 

19,364 

—  528 

1,005 

1883 

19,192 

—  202 

1,068 

1884 

18,381 

—  781 

1,128 

1885 

19,770 

+  1,389 

1,210 

1886 

21,250 

+  1,480 

1,618 

1887 

21,509 

+  259 

1,761 

1888 

23,271 

+  1,762 

1,756 

1889 

24,673 

+  1,402 

2,216 

1890 

25,364 

+  691 

1,728 

1891 

26,626 

+  1,262 

2,158 

1892 

27,486 

+  860 

2,045 

1893 

28,697 

+  1,211 

2,332 

1894 

30,766 

+  2,069 

2,995 

1895 

32,467 

+  1,701 

3,009 

1896 

34,091 

+  1,624 

2,768 

1897 

35,069 

+  978 

2,636 

1898 

36,208 

+  1,139 

2,005 

1899 

35,900 

—  308 

1,738 

1900 

36,070 

+  170 

1,754 

1901 

35,622 

—  448 

1,798 

1902 

35,484 

—  138 

1,725 

1903 

35,460 

—  24 

1,632 

1904 

34,914 

—  546 

1,547 

1905 

35,144 

+  230 

1,695 

1906 

35,590 

+  446 

1,801 

UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


III.    Sessions  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference. 


Time 

Place 

President 

Secretary 

Aug. 

27, 

1856  Maquoketa 

E.  S.  Janes 

L.  Taylor. 

Sep. 

9, 

1857  Marion 

E.  R.  Ames 

E.  Skinner 

Aug. 

25, 

1858  Lyons 

T.  A.  Morris 

S.  P.  Crawford 

Aug. 

24, 

1859  Iowa  City 

E.  S.  Janes 

L.  Taylor 

Aug. 

29, 

1860  Dubuque 

0.  C.  Baker 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

18, 

1861  Marshalltown 

L.  Scott 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

10, 

1862  McGregor 

E.  S.  Janes 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

16, 

1863  Davenport 

E.  R.  Ames 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

21, 

1864  Waterloo 

L.  Scott 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

13, 

1865  Tipton 

M.  Simpson 

C.  G.  Truesdell 

Sep. 

12, 

1866  Decorah 

E.  R.  Ames 

C.  G.  Truesdell 

Sep. 

18, 

1867  Iowa  City 

E.  S.  Janes 

C.  G.  Truesdell 

Sep. 

3, 

1868  Anamosa 

M.  Simpson 

C.  G.  Truesdell 

Sep. 

22, 

1869  Independence 

D.  W.  Clark 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

7, 

1870  Cedar  Falls 

E.  S.  Janes 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

27, 

1871  Clinton 

E.  R.  Ames 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Sep. 

25, 

1872  Vinton 

I.  W.  WUey 

R.  W.  Keeler 

Oct. 

1, 

1873  Cedar  Rapids 

E.  G.  Andrews 

J.  W.  Clinton 

Sep. 

30, 

1874  Charles  City 

G.  Haven 

J.  W.  Clinton 

Sep. 

22, 

1875  Dubuque 

S.  M.  Merrill 

J.  W.  Clinton 

Sep. 

21, 

1876  Maquoketa 

R.  S.  Foster 

J.  W.  Clinton 

Oct. 

3, 

1877  McGregor 

E.  R.  Ames 

J.  W.  Clinton 

Oct. 

2, 

1878  Marshalltown 

J.  T.  Peck 

J.  W.  Clinton 

Sep. 

24, 

1879  Davenport 

W.  L.  Harris 

J.  W.  Clinton 

Oct. 

1, 

1880  Osage 

E.  G.  Andrews 

S.  W.  Heald 

Sept.  21, 

1881  Waterloo 

J.  F.  Hurst 

S.  W.  Heald 

Sept.  20, 

1882  Cedar  Rapids 

I.  W.  Wiley 

S.  W.  Heald 

Sept.  19, 

1883  Marion 

M.  Simpson 

S.  W.  Heald 

Oct. 

1, 

1884  Mason  City 

T.  Bowman 

S.  W.  Heald 

Oct. 

1, 

1885  Toledo 

H.  W.  Warren 

S.  W.  Heald 

STATISTICAL  TABLES 


Time  Place 

Sept.  30,  1886  Cedar  Falls 

Sep.  30,  1886  Cedar  Falls 

Oct.  3,  1887  Clinton 

Oct.  3,  1888  Vinton 

Oct.  2,  1889  Iowa  City 

Oct.  8,  1890  Decorah 

Sep.  30,  1891  Davenport 

Oct.  5,  1892  Hampton 

Oct.  4,  1893  Maquoketa 

Oct.  3,  1894  Charles  City 

Oct.  9,  1895  Mason  City 

Oct.  7,  1896  Independence 

Oct.  6,  1897  Dubuque 

Oct.  6,  1898  Marion 

Oct.  4,  1899  Waterloo 

Oct.  3,  1900  Osage 

Oct.  2,  1901  Vinton 

Sep.  24,  1902  Marshalltown 

Sep.  23,  1903  Cedar  Rapids 

Oct.  5,  1904  Davenport 

Sep.  27,  1905  Hampton 

Oct.  3,  1906  Maquoketa 


President 

Secretary 

R. 

S. 

W.  Heald 

R. 

S.  Foster 

S. 

W.  Heald 

C. 

F.  IMallalieu 

S. 

W.  Heald 

C. 

D.  Foss 

S. 

W.  Heald 

W 

.  X.  Ninde 

S. 

W.  Heald 

S. 

M.  Merrill 

S. 

W.  Heald 

J. 

I'.  Xewman 

s. 

W.  Heald 

E. 

G.  Andrews 

s. 

W.  Heald 

J. 

M.  Walden 

s. 

^Y.  Heald 

T. 

Bowman 

s. 

W.  Heald 

C. 

H.  Fowler 

s. 

W.  Heald 

J. 

X.  Fitz<;erald 

s. 

W.  Heald 

H. 

,  W.  Warren 

s. 

W.  Heald 

J. 

H.  Vincent 

s. 

W.  Heald 

C. 

C.  McCabe 

s. 

W.  Heald 

John  F.  Hurst 

s. 

W.  Heald 

S. 

M.  MerrUl 

s. 

W.  Heald 

D. 

A.  Goodsell 

s. 

W.  Heald 

C. 

H.  Fowler 

W.H.Slingerland 

Isaac  W.  Joyce  W.H.Slingerland 
L.  B.  Wilson  W.H.Slingerland 
Earl  Cranston  W.H.Slingerland 


l6o  UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


RECORD  OF  OFFICIALS. 


I.    Presiding  Elders'  Record. 


Reed,  Henry ^W. 


Young,  Alcinous 

Bowman,  Geo.  B. 

Ay  res,  J.  C. 

Bronson,  Harvey  S. 
Coleman,  Andrew 

Rankin,  John  M. 

Coleman,  James  T. 


Date  District 

1840-42  Platteville    (Rock  River 

Conference) 

1843-47  Dubuque 

1847-50  Bloomington  (Muscatine) 

1850-54  Upper  Iowa 

1856-60  Dubuque 

1861-62  Iowa  City 

1808-72  Dubuque 

1850-52  Davenport 

1852-54  Iowa  City 

1845-47  Bloomington  (Muscatine) 

1847-51  Dubuque 

1856-60  Davenport 

1860-63  Vinton 

1855-  57  Upper  Iowa 

1845-49  Burlington 

1849-52  Des  Moines 

1854-58  Iowa  City 

1856-  58  Marshalltown 
1858-60  Vinton 
1869-72  Iowa  City 

1856-  57  Janesville 

1857-  58  Cedar  Falls 


Taylor,  Landon 


1856-58    Sioux  City 


1  H.  Bailev  5.  E.  A.  Knight 

2.  W.  F.  Pitner  6.  W.  E.  Ross 

3.  L.  C.  Clark  7.  W.  F.  Spry 

4.  W.  H.  Clement  8.  J.  C.  Magee 


9.  W.  Ward  Smith  13.  Will  Kerwin 

10.  Henry  AUshouse  14.  John  Dawson 

11.  T.  P.  Potter  is.  A.  G.  Ward 

12.  F.  M.  Robertson  16.  DeWitt  Clinton 


Name 

Skinner,  Elias 

Pancoast,  Samuel 
Brown,  Philo  E. 

Holmes,  D.  N. 

Clifford,  George 
Gould,  John 

Houghton,  H.  W. 

Kynett,  Alpha  J. 
Dimmitt,  Jacob  G. 

Taylor,  Joel  B. 
Lamont,  Daniel 
Keeler,  Richard  W. 

Freer,  S.  C. 
Fuller,  I.  K. 
Miller,  Emory 

Truesdell,  Charles  G. 


D  OF  OFFICIALS 

Date  District 

1857-59  Upper  Iowa 

1867-  68  Cedar  Falls 

1868-  72  Anamosa 

1872-  76  Dubuque 

1857-  61  Iowa  City 

1858-  59  Cedar  Falls 
1860-64  Dubuque 

1858-62  Fort  Dodge 

1863-67  Cedar  Falls 

1858-  62  Sioux  City 

1859-  63  Cedar  Falls 

1863-  67  Upper  Iowa 

1859-  63  Upper  Iowa 

1864-  68  Dubuque 

1860-  64  Davenport 

1852-55  Dubuque 

1862-64  Iowa  City 

1862-64  Fort  Dodge 

1862-64  Sioux  City 

1864-68  Davenport 

1873-  76  Charles  City 
1876-80  Dubuque 

1864-68  Vinton 

1866-68  Iowa  City 

1868-71  Davenport 

1875-  76  Cedar  Falls 

1876-  80  Cedar  Rapids 

1868-69  Iowa  City 


l62  UPPER 
Name 

Henderson,'^Stephen  H. 

Bowman,  John 

Wolfe,  F.  C. 

Lee,  Simon  A. 
Brush,  William 
Smith,  William 
Anderson,  John  S. 

Paxton,  W.  Frank 

Newton,  Isaac 
Golden,  T.  C. 
Lease,  William 

Swearingen,  Richard 
Ligham,  S.  W.  Jr., 

Crippen,  John  T. 

Clinton,  John  W. 
Hammond,  B.  C. 
Peebles,  R.  W. 
Sheffer,  Daniel 
Manwell,  A.  C. 


IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Date 

District 

loDo- 

79 

Vinton 

1872- 

-75 

Mount  Vernon 

1875- 

-76 

Cedar  Rapids 

1867- 

-71 

Fayette 

1871- 

-75 

Cedar  Falls 

1867- 

-69 

Upper  Iowa 

1869-71 

McGregor 

1868-71 

KjQu&V  r  alls 

1869- 

-73 

Charles  City- 

1871- 

-75 

McGregor 

1871- 

-75 

Davenport 

1875- 

-76 

Independence 

1871- 

-75 

Fayette 

1875- 

-79 

Davenport 

1883- 

-87 

Decorah 

1873- 

-75 

Anamosa 

1873- 

-75 

Vinton 

1874- 

-77 

Marshalltown 

1879- 

-83 

Davenport 

1875- 

-79 

Decorah 

1876- 

-78 

Cedar  Falls 

1878- 

-82 

Cedar  Falls 

1884-90 

Cedar  Rapids 

1891- 

-97 

Marshalltown 

1881- 

-83 

Decorah 

1880-84 

Cedar  Rapids 

1880- 

-84 

Dubuque 

1882- 

-86 

Cedar  Falls 

1884- 

-87 

Davenport 

RECORD  OF  OFFICIALS 


Name 

Green,  Harrv  H. 


Magee,  John  C. 

Church,  Hampden  S. 
Fleming,  Thomas  E. 

Mabrj^,  W.  D. 
Rigby,  Joshua  H. 
Taylor,  Charles  H. 
Albrook,  J.  Burleigh 

Miller,  E.  L. 

Coleman,  Frank,  M. 

Carlton,  W.  W. 

Robertson,  Frank  M. 
Gould,  Charles  L. 
Van  Ness,  John  G. 
Pitner,  WHliam  F. 
Bissell,  John  W. 


Date  District 

1884-  90  Dubuque 
1890-96  Decorah 
1898-1904  Dubuque 

1885-  91  Marshalltown 
1898-1904    Cedar  FaUs 


1904- 


Decorah 


1886-92    Cedar  Falls 


1887-92 
1900-04 
1904- 


Davenport 

Decorah 

Dubuque 


1887-90  Decorah 


1890-92  Dubuque 


1892-98 


Dubuque 
Cedar  Rapids 


1890-96 

1897-  1903  Marshalltown 
1904-  Davenport 

1881-85  Marshalltown 
1892-98  Davenport 

1892-98    Cedar  Falls 

1896-1902    Cedar  Rapids 

1896-1900  Decorah 

1898-  1904  Davenport 

1902-  Cedar  Rapids 

1903-  Marshalltown 

1904-  Cedar  Falls 


II.    Delegates  to  the  General  Conference. 
1860 

Philo  E.  Brown,  J.  C.  Ayres,  H.  W.  Reed,  R.  W.  Keeler. 


164 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


1864 

R.  W.  Keeler,  H.  W.  Houghton,  George  Clifford,  A.  J.  Kynett. 
1868 

A.  J.  Kynett,  William  Brush,  H.  W.  Reed,  D.  N.  Holmes. 
1872 

A.  J.  Kynett,  William  Brush,  John  Bowman,  Richard  Swear- 
ingen,   R.  W.  Keeler,  Elias  Skinner. 

Reserves:    H.  W.  Reed,  Emory  Miller. 
Lay:    Hiram  Price,  D.  N.  Cooley. 

1876 

A.  J.  Kynett,  Emory  MiUer,  W.  F.  King,  J.  B.  Taylor. 
Reserves:    Elias  Skinner,  W.  F.  Paxton. 
Lay:    D.  N.  Cooley,  Hiram  Price. 

1880 

Emory  Miller,  A.  J.  Kynett,  R.  Swearingen,  F.  C.  Wolfe. 
Reserves:    E.  K.  Young,  W.  F.  Paxton. 
Lay:    W.  F.  Johnston,  W.  S.  Scott. 

1884 

A.  J.  Kynett,  William  Lease,  J.  W.  Bissell,  J.  W.  Clinton. 
Reserves:    B.  C.  Hammond,  J.  T.  Crippen. 
Lay:    Sheppard  Wilson,  A.  Boomer. 

1888 

A.  J.  Kynett,  W.  F.  King,  H.  H.  Green,  J.  T.  Crippen,  G.  W. 
Brindell. 

Reserves:    W.  F.  Paxton,  J.  H.  Rhea. 
Lay:    J.  P.  Farley,  E.  A.  Snyder. 

1892 

J.  C.  Magee,  A.  J.  Kynett,  T.  E.  Fleming,  S.  W.  Heald,  J. 
H.  Rhea. 

Reserves:    J.  W.  Bissell,  Hugh  Boyd. 
Lay:    Henry  Egbert,  Calvin  Yoran. 

1896 

A.  J.  Kynett,  J.  B.  Albrook,  W.  F.  Barclay,  W.  F.  King,  S. 
N.  Fellows. 


RECORD  OF  OFFICIALS 


165 


Reserves:    J.  A.  AVard,  F.  M.  Coleman. 
Lay:    T.  B.  Taylor,  A.  C.  Ross. 

1900 

J.  C.  Magee,  J.  B.  Albrook,  H.  C.  Stuntz,  H.  0.  Pratt,  H.  H. 
Green,  S.  C.  Bronson. 

Reserves:    W.  F.  King,  C.  L.  Gould,  E.  J.  Lockwood. 

Lay:  A.  E.  Swisher,  J.  F.  Merry,  J.  J.  Clark,  W.  F.  John- 
ston, T.  B.  Taylor,  D.  B.  Snyder, 

1904 

T.  E.  Fleming,  W.  F.  King,  E.  J.  Lockwood,  J.  T.  Crippen, 
C.  L.  Gould,  J.  C.  Magee. 

Reserves:    J.  B.  Albrook,  H.  H.  Green,  J.  G.  VanNess. 

Lay:  A.  E.  Swisher,  D.  A.  Porterfield,  W.  H.  Hand,  J.  D. 
Blue,  C.  E.  Drummond,  W.  W.  Wyant. 

III.    Delegates  to  the  Aecumenical  Conference. 

Li  1876  the  General  Conference,  at  it  session  in  the  city  of 
Baltimore,  declared  that  "it  appeared  desirable  that  a  conference 
should  be  called  together,  representing  all  the  diversified  bodies 
of  Methodists  which  had  sprung  up  throughout  the  world."  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  take  the  initiatory  steps  towards  the 
assembling  of  the  proposed  conference.  After  much  correspond- 
ence, it  was  arranged  to  hold  the  conference  in  the  year  1881  in 
London,  England,  the  birthplace  of  Methodism.  It  was  to  be 
composed  of  400  delegates,  one-half  to  be  chosen  by  churches  in 
Europe  and  their  missions,  and  one-half  by  churches  in  America 
and  their  missions. 

On  Wednesday,  the  7th  of  September,  1881,  the  delegated 
ministers  met  in  City  Road  Chapel,  in  London.  They  represented 
twenty-eight  different  denominations,  coming  from  England, 
Ireland,  Scotland,  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden, 
Switzerland,  Africa,  India,  China,  Japan,  Australia,  New  Zealand, 
Polynesia,  and  from  all  sections  of  the  United  States,  from  Can- 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


ada,  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  South  America  and  the  West 
Indies.  It  was  indeed  a  notable  body  of  men,  the  highest  repre- 
sentative men  of  Methodism  in  all  these  countries,  and  for  ten 
days  they  discussed  with  rare  eloquence  the  great  problems  then 
confronting  the  church.  A.  J.  Kynett  represented  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  in  this  first  Aecumenical  Methodist  Conference. 

On  all  sides  the  feeling  existed  that  this  first  Aecumenical 
Conference  must  be  followed  by  succeeding  ones,  and  that  the 
second  conference  should  be  held  in  America.  Arrangements 
were  made  that  the  second  conference  should  be  composed  of 
500  delegates,  300  from  churches  in  America  and  200  from  churches 
across  the  sea.  Accordingly  on  October  7,  1891,  in  the  Metro- 
politan Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Washington,  D.  C,  the  dele- 
gates from  all  countries  met,  and  continued  their  sessions  for 
twelve  days.  S.  N.  Fellows  was  the  representative  of  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  in  the  second  Aecumenical  Methodist  Conference. 

In  1901  the  third  Aecumenical  Methodist  Conference  was 
held  in  London,  England,  to  which  W.  F.  King  was  the  appointed 
delegate. 

It  is  expected  that  in  1911,  the  fourth  Aecumenical  Methodist 
Conference  will  be  held  in  the  United  States,  probably  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 


ROLL  OF  THE  DEAD 


167 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ROLL  OF  THE  DEAD  AXD  WIDOWS  OF  DECEASED  MEMBERS. 

1.  Roll  of  the  Honored  Dead. 


Entered  the 

Ministry  Name 

1894  Alderson,  Charles  R. 

1827  Ayres,  John  C. 

1886  Bacon,  William  F. 

1859  Ballon,  George  W. 

1874  Barclay,  William  F. 

1867  Bargelt,  Edmund  S. 

1858  Beach,  Henry  W. 
1879  Bean,  Alban  S. 
1844  Bowen,  G.  Dixon 
1861  Bowles,  Orlyn  D. 
1840  Bowman,  John 
1879  Bradford,  Smith  S. 
1850  Brindell,  George  W. 
1833  Bradshaw,  Harvey 
1836  Bronson,  Asahel 
1853  Brown,  William  N. 
1890  Brown,  Wm.  Nelson 
1886  Camp,  .\lonzo 

1859  Casebeer,  J.  B. 

1865  Catlin,  Lyman 
1825  Coleman,  Andrew 

1866  Clmton,  John  W. 
1864  Cooley,  Lewis  S. 
1885  Cook,  Thomas  X. 


Years  in 

Deceased 

Aie 

Ministry. 

Apr.  16,  1897 

28 

3 

Jill.   13,  1899 

98 

68 

Mar.  27,  1902 

45 

16 

Oct.  13,  1893 

56 

34 

Dec.    4,  1904 

30 

Mar.    1,  1892 

68 

25 

Tipr    1  Q  1 878 

48 

20 

Jlar.  61,  Ibbl 

24 

2 

May  26,  1858 

35 

14 

Mar.  13,  1879 

48 

20 

Jan.  26,  1903 

86 

63 

Dec.    8,  1892 

44 

13 

Apr.  14,  1897 

66 

47 

Xov.   7,  1861 

51 

28 

Aug.   8,  1905 

98 

69 

1870 

45 

17 

Apr.    9,  1905 

40 

15 

Apr.  20,  1905 

66 

19 

Dec.  18,  1889 

52 

30 

Oct.  16,  1892 

78 

27 

May    4,  1881 

82 

56 

Jan.  26,  1894 

63 

28 

Oct.  10,  1898 

67 

34 

Aug.  19,  1895 

38 

10 

UPPER  IOWA  conference; 


Entered 

the 

Ministry 

1884 

Craft,  William  F. 

1870 

Cressey,  Charles 

1852 

Critchfield,  Asa  W. 

1865 

1863 

DovB  Willi^irn.  F, 

Edwards  A.  H.  Marsh 

1843 

Ebcrhart  Uriah 

1856 

Fellows  Samuel  M. 

1852 

Ferris  J.  M. 

1841 

1857 

Fuller  Ingoldsby  Iv, 

1850 

Gage^  Dennison 

1819 

Gilruth  James 

1850 

Golden,  Thomas  C. 

1860 

Gossardj  Samuel  J. 

1830 

Gould  John 

1854 

Gould,  Philip  W. 

1882 

Green,  Levi  N. 

1852 

Havens  David  J. 

1857 

Harmer  Samuel  Y. 

1882 

XX<XWXi.j   -I-JLlWlil  Ji. 

1866 

Haymond  Jacob 

1867 

Heald,  Samuel  W. 

1889 

Herrington,  Orian  L, 

1879 

Hindman,  Lorenzo  S. 

1853 

Holcomb,  Bethuel 

1843 

Holmes,  D.  Nelson 

1844 

Houghton,  Horatio  W. 

1853 

Howe,  W.  R. 

1841 

Ingham,  Solomon  W. 

1846 

Jennison,  George  H. 

Years  in 

May  25,  1900 

36 

16 

Dec.  21,  1881 

40 

11 

July  18,  1901 

86 

49 

June  ly,  lyuu 

OD 

35 

j-^'ec.  ^o,  loou 

48 

25 

Mnr    94.  1 8Q9 

OO 

*«ipr>    1 7   1 SQQ 

78 

56 

Tun    9fi  Ikfi^ 

44 

7 

Vph    1 Q  1 SQQ 

66 

47 

Nov.  15  1883 

65 

42 

Tun     17  1S78 
o  nil.  1  / ,  xo  t  o 

53 

21 

Tnn     9^    1 8fi9 

oo 

12 

Tnn       9  187'? 

J  un.    z,  lo/  o 

80 

54 

Mmr  9Q  1S7Q 

61 

29 

Tnn  "^n  iQon 

78 

40 

Nn^r    1  1     1  Q79 
IN  OV.  11,  1  o  < 

66 

42 

Dpf>    11    1 QDO 

lycL.    11,  1 .700 

68 

46 

Tnl       7  IQO^ 

62 

23 

Jun.  15  1861 

30 

8 

Mar    26  1 SS4 

74 

27 

J?  cU.      O,  looU 

28 

4 

Ano-  91  100*^ 

77 

37 

Spn      7  1  Qn3 

61 

36 

23 

Jul.   zz,  190z 

53 

Oct.  13,  1897 

85 

44 

Jul.   21,  1887 

82 

44 

Oct.    1,  1904 

92 

60 

Jun.  17,  1875 

51 

22 

Feb.    8,  1901 

89 

60 

Jul.     9,  1879 

58 

33 

ROLL  OF  THE  DEAD  169 


Entered  the 

Ministry  Name 

1854  Jones,  Nathaniel 

1893  Joy,  Sherman  W. 

1860  Keagle,  Levi  S. 
1845  Keeler,  Richard  W. 

1838  Kelley,  John  L. 
1858  Knickerbocker,  Smith 

1851  Kynett,  Alpha  J. 

1852  Lamb,  Edwin  D. 
1851  Lee,  Simon  A. 

1861  Leslie,  James  M. 
1891  Mason,  Albert  A. 
1872  Mather,  Charles  P. 
1876  McCord,  Joseph  S. 

1858  McCormac,  William  E. 
1878  Mclntyre,  John  S. 

1876  McKim,  Sidney  T. 

1859  McLean,  Cornelius  F. 

1894  Meyers,  J.  G.  S. 
1844  Miller,  Wesley  H. 
1865  Milner,  R.  W. 
1894  Metcalf,  Thomas  S. 
1881  Montgomery,  William 
1854  Moore,  Thomas 
1870  Miller,  Philip  E. 

1877  Newell,  Oliver  R. 
1851  Newton,  Isaac 
1848  Norton,  Roderick 
1842  Parks,  J.  M. 

1839  Pilbeam,  Henry 
1858  Paxton,  W.  Frank 

1862  Peebles,  Robert  W. 
1883  Pratt,  Lyndon  M. 


Deceased 

Years  in 
Ministry. 

Jun.    1,  1884 

62 

30 

ioep.  ZO,  loyO 

9fi 

Q 

00 

41 

Alio-    7  1899 

75 

54 

77 

55 

Octli.     J-v7j    J.  £7 WO 

69 

45 

Feb.  23  1899 

70 

48 

-T-U^.    Ic/,    100  i 

27 

5 

Jan.    0,  loyo 

DO 

4: '4 

Mm^  17   1 Q?*? 

iviay  1/,  La  to 

00 

12 

Mmr      1  100*^ 

iviay    1,  lyuo 

42 

12 

Aiitr  IS  issn 

38 

g 

Mor  "^o  loni 

(^1 

zo 

JuL    17,  1905 

81 

47 

Jan.  30,  1892 

44 

14 

Jul.     9,  1905 

55 

29 

Jul.  15,  1902 

72 

43 

Dec.  23,  1898 

39 

4 

Apr.  25,  1887 

68 

43 

Feb.  16,  1898 

71 

33 

Sep.  18,  1896 

29 

2 

Aug.   1,  1892 

37 

11 

Sep.    9,  1877 

45 

23 

Sep.  19,  1903 

63 

33 

May  10,  1904 

52 

27 

Sep.    3,  1904 

88 

53 

Sep.  30,  1883 

64 

35 

Jan.  15,  1893 

77 

51 

Nov.   7,  1887 

72 

48 

Oct.  21,  1894 

59 

36 

May    4,  1900 

71 

38 

Oct.    4,  1889 

43 

6 

lyo 

UPPER  IOWA 

CONFERENCE 

Entered  the 

Years  in 

Ministry 

Name 

Deceased 

Age 

Ministry. 

1862 

Rhea,  James  H. 

May  27,  1896 

69 

34 

1851 

Ricker,  Rufus 

Nov.  22,  1892 

71 

41 

1869 

Rigby,  Joshua  H. 

Jun.  18,  1892 

48 

23 

1886 

Sanford,  John  R. 

Feb.    1,  1906 

48 

20 

1838 

Scoles,  John 

Dec.  11,  1882 

72 

44 

1857 

Sheffer,  Daniel 

Apr.  24,  1905 

69 

48 

1852 

Shinn,  A.  T. 

Nov.  1857 

40 

5 

1892 

Smedley,  Willis  E. 

Jan.  30,  1902 

36 

10 

1829 

Smith,  Albin  M. 

Dec.  25,  1891 

83 

62 

1887 

Smith,  Bourland  D. 

Aug.  20,  1900 

40 

13 

1858 

Smith,  William 

Jul.     3,  1875 

49 

17 

1872 

Spry,  Jonathan  T. 

Oct.  25,  1904 

60 

32 

1846 

Swearingen,  Richard 

Oct.  21,  1900 

75 

54 

1853 

Symes,  Charles  C. 

Nov.  10,  1870 

43 

17 

1892 

Tauchen,  John  H. 

Apr.   3,  1895 

24 

3 

1871 

Taylor,  Charles  H. 

Oct.  12,  1905 

69 

34 

1850 

Taylor,  Harvey 

Mar.  26,  1903 

82 

53 

1843 

Taylor,  Joel  B. 

Mar.  15,  1881 

64 

38 

1842 

Taylor,  Landon 

Apr.  19,  1885 

72 

43 

1871 

Tull,  John  D. 

Sep.  23,  1901 

65 

30 

1866 

Ward  Zelotes  R. 

Jul.  10,  1894 

64 

28 

1844 

Warner,  Horace 

Oct.  5,  1892 

79 

48 

1845 

Waterbury,  J.  W. 

Apr.  29,  1870 

55 

25 

1850 

Watkins,  Wiley  P. 

k5cp.  i£,  lO/O 

45 

23 

1869 

Wilcox,  John  F. 

Nov.  10,  1893 

48 

24 

1866 

Winsett,  Laban 

Aug.  15,  1881 

43 

15 

1859 

Wilson,  James  A. 

Apr.  zo,  looo 

Oo 

1854 

Wolfe,  Frederick  C. 

Jan.  15,  1900 

75 

46 

1858 

Woods,  Albert  G. 

July  7,  1890 

84 

32 

1828 

Young,  Alcinous 

Mar.  30,  1876 

80 

52 

II.    Widows  of  Deceased  Members. 


The  history  of  pastors'  wives  has  never  been  written.  Bishop 
Foster  is  said  to  have  remarked  that,  "Most  Methodist  preachers 


WIDOWS  OF  MEMBERS 


171 


seem  to  meet  with  surprising  success  in  the  choice  of  their  wives — 
these  ladies  quite  invariably  proving  to  be  the  very  best  of  their 
sex."  Usually  diffident  and  retiring  in  their  character  and  dis- 
position, few  outside  the  home  know  the  beauty  of  their  lives, 
the  wealth  of  their  affection,  or  the  depth  of  their  devotion.  They 
enter  with  their  whole  soul  into  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  are 
a  constant  encouragement  and  support  to  their  husbands  in  all  the 
toilsome  and  trying  experiences  of  the  Methodist  itinerant.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  Conference,  having  meagre  salaries  and  living 
in  cabins,  and  on  large  circuits  compelling  long  and  frequent 
absence  of  the  husband  from  home,  they  had  peculiarly  severe 
hardships  and  privations.  With  far  less  to  cheer  and  encourage 
her,  the  burdens  and  trials  of  the  wife  are  often  harder  to  bear 
than  those  of  the  husband.  If  success  attends  their  ministry, 
the  husband  receives  the  praise,  though  the  wife,  by  the  blessed 
influence  of  her  character  and  life  in  the  social  circle,  in  the  homes 
of  the  people  and  in  the  class  and  prayer  meetings  as  weU  as  in 
her  owTi  home,  has  contributed  largely  to  that  success. 

With  a  noble  husband  by  her  side,  the  pastor's  wife  is  ready 
to  accept  joyfully  and  patiently  endure  for  his  sake  and  the  Mas- 
ter's sake  whatever  comes  to  her  through  the  circumstances  of 
her  husband's  ministry.  But  when  that  husband  is  called  away 
by  death,  and  she  is  forever  separated  from  the  work  and  the  hal- 
lowed relations  and  associations  of  a  pastor's  wife,  and  caused 
to  go  out  into  the  loneliness  of  widowhood,  sometimes  among 
strangers,  and  ofttimes  in  poverty,  and  with  little  children  to  care 
for  and  nurture,  then  indeed  is  her  lot  hard  to  endure.  Such  an 
experience  can  be  overcome  only  by  the  heroic  courage,  the 
sublime  faith  and  undying  love  of  a  consecrated  Christian  woman. 
If  there  is  any  class  who  are  deserving  of  sympathy,  of  honor  and 
of  high  appreciation,  it  is  that  class  who  have  been  thus  bereaved. 
While  they  may  be  denied  the  honors  of  this  life,  their  record  is 
on  high,  and  a  crown  awaits  them  in  heaven. 


172 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


The  following  is  a  list  of  these  worthy  Christian  women,  our 
sisters  in  Christ  and  co-workers  in  His  Kingdom,  whose  husbands, 
once  members  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  have  finished  their 
work  on  earth  and  received  their  coronation  in  heaven : 


Mrs.  C  K.  Alderson, 

Fayette. 

Mrs.  W.  r.  ±>acon, 

Leuar  r  alls. 

Mrs.  VV.  Jb.  ±5arclaj% 

Cedar  Rapids. 

Mrs.  E.  S.  Bargelt, 

JNoriolk,  JNeb. 

Mrs.  ti.  W.  xJeaen, 

Lnenalis,  Wash. 

Mrs.  John  Bowman, 

Cedar  Falls. 

Mrs.  W.  JN.  rJrown, 

Waucoma. 

Mrs.  William  Brush, 

Chicago,  111. 

Mrs.  Alonzo  Camp, 

Cedar  Falls. 

Mrs.  J.  B.  Casebeer, 

Cedar  Rapids. 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Clinton, 

Hampton. 

Mrs.  T.  N.  Cook, 

Mount  Vernon. 

Mrs.  L.  S.  Cooley, 

Fredericsburg. 

Mrs.  W.  r .  Crait, 

Mount  Vernon. 

Mrs.  William  Cummings, 

Lake  City. 

Mrs.  W.  F.  Dove, 

Parkston,  S.  D. 

Mrs.  U.  Eberhart, 

Chicago  Jjawn,  No.  3604,  64  Pi. 

Mrs.  b.  M.  l^ellows, 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Mrs.  J.  M.  Ferris, 

Clinton. 

Mrs.  S.  C.  Freer, 

Mount  Vernon. 

Mrs.  P.  W.  Gould, 

Northville,  N.  Y. 

Mrs.  L.  N.  Green, 

Fayette. 

Mrs.  E.  A.  Hawn, 

Vinton. 

Mrs.  S.  W.  Heald, 

Mount  Vernon. 

Mrs.  L.  S.  Hindman, 

Osborne,  Kan. 

Mrs.  H.  W.  Houghton, 

Dubuque. 

Mrs.  B.  Holcomb, 

Decorah. 

Mrs.  W.  R.  Howe, 

Olin. 

WIDOWS  OF  MEMBERS 


Mrs.  L.  S.  Keagle, 
Mrs.  R.  W.  Keeler, 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Kynett, 
Mrs.  S.  A.  Lee, 
Mrs.  A.  A.  Mason, 
Mrs.  C.  F.  Mather, 
Mrs.  J.  S.  McCord, 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Mclntyre, 
Mrs.  S.  T.  McKim, 
Mrs.  C.  F.  McLean, 
Mrs.  P.  E.  Miller, 
Mrs.  0.  R.  Newell, 
Mrs.  I.  Newton, 
Mrs.  R.  Norton, 
Mrs.  W.  F.  Paxton, 
Mrs.  R.  W.  Peebles, 
Mrs.  H.  Pilbeam, 
Mrs.  L.  M.  Pratt, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Rigby, 
Mrs.  D.  Sheffer, 
Mrs.  W.  E.  Smedley, 
Mrs.  B.  D.  Smith, 
Mrs.  William  Smith, 
Mrs.  J.  T.  Spry, 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Taylor, 
Mrs.  J.  F.  WUcox, 
Mrs.  A.  G.  Woods, 


Vinton. 
Des  Moines. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Toledo. 
Hawarden. 
Winona,  Minn. 
Mount  Vernon. 
Mount  Vernon. 
Marshalltown. 
Eldora. 

Wealthy,  Minn. 
Marshalltown. 
Farley. 
Windham. 
Missoula,  Mont. 
Vancouver,  Wash. 
Belle  Plaine. 
Des  Moines. 
Mount  Vernon. 
Cedar  Falls. 
Geneva. 
Mount  Vernon 
Saint  Paul,  Minn. 
Mount  Vernon. 
Independence. 
Davenport. 
Maynard. 


174 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  XV. 


HISTORICAL  REGISTER. 


There  is  given  below,  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  a  com- 
plete list  of  all  who  have  at  any  time  severed  their  connection 
with  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  otherwise  than  by  death.  The 
abbreviations  used  are : 

L,  for  located, 
W,  for  withdrawn, 
Ex.,  for  expelled, 
Tr.,  for  transferred. 
Only  the  time  and  manner  of  final  severance  is  given.  The 
whole  number  of  names  here  recorded  is  two  hundred  and  ninety- 
four.    That  there  are  some  errors  or  omissions  is  quite  probable, 
but  it  is  believed  they  are  few. 

Tr.  to  N.  Dakota 


Ackerman,  R.  M. 
Adron,  W.  A. 
Albrook,  M.  G. 
Aldrich,  Smith 
Alger,  Simeon 
Allen,  W.  A. 
Ames,  A.  H. 
Anderson,  J.  S. 
Ashbaugh,  L.  S. 
Barclay,  Wade  C. 
Baylies,  Henry, 
Babcock,  Charles 
Bachellor,  C.  W. 
Bagnell,  Robert 
Baldwin,  J. 
Barber,  A 


Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

L 

L 

Tr.  to  W.  Nebraska 
Tr.  to  Des  Moines 
L 
L 

Tr.  to  Rock  River 

L 

L 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 
Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 
W 
L 


1902 
1873 
1899 
1883 
1858 
1894 
1887 
1878 
1861 
1906 
1869 
1860 
1865 
1891 
1880 
1867 


Bassett,  H.  A. 
Bassett,  T.  J. 
Battin,  Daniel 
Beall,  J.  M. 
Beatty,  J.  L. 
Bell,  Watson 
Bennett,  H.  W. 
Bennett,  W.  D. 
Berry,  J.  R. 
Bickford,  I.  B. 
Black,  Wm. 
Black,  R.  D. 
Blake,  C.  H. 
Boteler,  J.  W. 
Bowman,  Geo.  B. 
Bretnall,  F.  W. 
Brewer,  C.  W. 
Brown,  Philo  E. 
Brush,  William 
Brush,  E.  T. 
Brush,  Frank  E. 
Bugbee,  L.  H. 
Bronson,  H.  S. 
Brown,  H.  C. 
Brocksome,  W.  H. 
Burley,  H.  J. 
Burris,  F.  H. 
Byam,  E.  C. 
Brooks,  A.  A. 
Cattermole,  E.  G. 
Cadwalader,  J. 
Calder,  A.  B. 


HISTORICAL    REGISTER  1 75 

Tr.  to  Mexico  1899 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Indiana  1905 

L  1901 

W  1896 

Tr.  to  N.  Dakota  1897 

L  1861 

Tr.  to  Illinois  1884 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines  1874 

Tr.  to  Minnesota  1880 

L  1900 

L  1879 

Tr.  to  Oklahoma  1902 

Tr.  to  N.  Minnesota  1903 

L  1860 

Tr.  to  California  1867 

Tr.  to  Colorado  1905 

L  1862 

Tr.  to  Wisconsin  1869 

Tr.  to  Texas  1873 

Tr.  to  Vermont  1898 

Tr.  to  Iowa  1896 

L  1860 

L  1861 

L  1881 

L  1876 

L  1862 

Tr.  to  Kansas  1871 

W.  from  the  ministry  1865 

Tr.  to  Nebraska  1906 

Tr.  to  Rock  River  1906 

L  1859 

Tr.  to  N.  Minnesota  1903 


176  UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Campbell,  H.  G. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1897 

Carhart,  L.  H. 

Tr.  to  Holston 

1874 

Carlton,  John  H. 

L 

1867 

Carey,  A. 

L 

1860 

Chambers,  W.  A. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1875 

Chambers,  H.  M. 

Tr.  to  Oklahoma 

1904 

Cherrington,  F.  B. 

Tr.  to  S.  California 

1886 

Chase,  A.  L. 

Tr.  to  Colorado 

1887 

\_>llabc,  XV.  rv. 

Tr   +n  "XT    W  Town 
1 1 .  to  IN  .   VV  .  lUWa 

looo 

L/nasseu,  \j.  15. 

T 

-Li 

1  nni 

pi  iff  „_  J  Han 

ir.  to  L/aiiiornia 

loDD 

Liaypool,  Hi.  V. 

Tr.  to  Kansas 

1905 

L/iUlOW,  J. 

T 

Li 

1895 

i^oggesnaii,  u.  hi. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1  nr»/i 

iyu4 

Cochran,  A.  S. 

1  r.  TjO  i\ .  VV  .  iowa 

1 880 

P/^llioT    T?r.Kor+  T 

i_^oiiier,  xvoueri. 

il.  LO  JCLOCK  XVlVcr 

1 8R9 

Coleman,  J.  1. 

Ir.  to  iowa 

1863 

Coleman,  Austin 

T 

JL 

lo/D 

Lowgiil,  J.  Hi. 

T 

1  OOf\ 

looU 

Copeland,  C.  W . 

Ex. 

1871 

Crawford,  S.  P. 

L 

1860 

Cromack,  J.  C. 

W.  under  charges 

1871 

Dimmitt,  J.  G. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1869 

Dart,  T.  M. 

Tr.  to  Colorado 

1873 

Davis,  J.  A. 

Tr.  to  Colorado 

1900 

Dalrymple,  H.  A. 

Tr.  to  Kansas 

1899 

Day,  Frank  E. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1888 

De  Lamatter,  C.  E. 

Tr.  to  India 

1887 

Dolon,  C. 

L 

1900 

Donaldson,  D. 

Tr.  to  Iowa 

1865 

Dorwin,  W.  S. 

W 

1906 

Dosh,  L.  P. 

L 

1874 

DuBois,  F.  E. 
Downs,  E.  B. 
Eberhart,  J.  G. 
Eldridge,  J.  M. 
Elliott,  Geo. 
Ensign,  J.  E. 
Esterbrook,  W.  W 
Elliott,  A.  C. 
Falkner,  A. 
Farmer,  Harry 
Fawcett,  John 
Fawcett,  Wm. 
Fawcett,  J.  N. 
Fisher,  S. 
Fitch,  J.  E. 
Fleming,  W.  T.  S. 
Franklin,  F. 
Frazelle,  W.  B. 
Fisher,  0.  L. 
Foster,  A.  D. 
Gifford,  W.  H. 
GUmer,  U.  Z. 
Gilruth,  J.  H. 
Gleason,  W.  0. 
Goodell,  W.  A. 
Goodrich,  J.  C. 
Gramley,  C.  H. 
Guiberson,  S.  B. 
Gray,  J.  B. 
Hale,  A.  S. 
Hall,  C. 

Hammond,  H.  H. 


HISTORICAL  REGISTER  1 77 

Tr.  to  X.  W.  Iowa  1899 

W  1905 

Tr.  to  Central  Illinois  1905 

Tr.  to  Kansas  1 905 

Tr.  to  Baltimore  1884 

L  1901 

W  1861 

L  1869 

Tr.  to  Erie  1865 

Tr.  to  Philippines  1905 

L  1872 

Tr.  to  Rock  River  1881 

Tr.  to  Central  Illinois  1890 

L  1887 

L  1874 

Tr.  to  Rock  River  1900 

Tr.  to  X.  W.  Iowa  1872 

L  1883 

Tr.  to  Colorado  1874 

Tr.  to  X.  Ohio  1906 

Tr.  to  S.  Dakota  1892 

Tr.  to  Colorado  1891 

L  1878 

Tr.  to  X.  W.  Iowa  1885 

Tr.  to  Malaysia  1901 

Tr.  to  Xewark  1899 

L  1885 

L  1863 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Indiana  1866 

Tr.  to  Minnesota  1904 

L  1861 

W.  under  charges  1881 


178  UPPER 

IOWA  CONFERENCE 

Harmon,  N.  E. 

Tr.  to  S.  Illinois 

1884 

Harper,  W.  G. 

Tr.  to  E.  Ohio 

1887 

Harrington,  F.  M. 

Tr.  to  S.  America 

1900 

Hawn,  R.  G. 

Tr.  to  Columbia  River 

1876 

Hazelton,  J.  0. 

Tr.  to  Wisconsin 

1878 

Hawn,  C.  H. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1891 

Heatly,  F.  T. 

Tr.  to  Arkansas 

1906 

Hedges,  J.  M. 

W.  under  charges 

1889 

Heiserman,  G.  L. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1899 

Henderson,  S.  H. 

Tr.  to  Nebraska 

1877 

Hill,  E.  A. 

L 

1860 

Hill,  J.  G. 

Tr.  to  S.  California 

1906 

Holland,  E. 

Tr.  to  Nebraska 

1882 

HoUen,  B.  W. 

L 

1872 

Hood,  H. 

L 

1859 

Howard,  S.  N. 

L 

1879 

Hudson,  J.  M. 

L 

1872 

Hurlburt,  R.  F. 

Tr.  to  Iowa 

1896 

Hodges,  C.  E. 

L 

1905 

Iliff,  W.  H. 

Tr.  to  Colorado 

1893 

Ingalls,  Pearl  P. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1876 

Ingham,  S.  W.,  Jr. 

Tr.  to  Nebraska 

1887 

Isham,  C. 

L 

1861 

Jenkins,  G.  W. 

Tr.  to  Montana 

1889 

Johnson,  A.  K. 

L. 

1868 

Keisler,  Mott 

Tr.  to  N.  India 

1901 

Keith,  H.  H. 

L 

1859 

Kendall,  E. 

L 

1865 

Kendig,  A.  B. 

Tr.  to  New  England 

1875 

Keniston,  G.  N. 

W.  under  charges 

1891 

Kerr,  J.  A. 

Tr.  to  Rock  River 

1883 

Larkins,  Geo. 

Tr.  to  California 

1868 

HISTORICAL  REGISTER 

179 

Lawrence,  H.  N. 

L 

1889 

Lawton,  C.  H. 

Tr.  to  California 

1859 

Leiser,  W.  M. 

Tr.  to  Missouri 

1902 

Leonard,  J.  M. 

Tr.  to  New  England 

1882 

Lewis,  W.  S. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1897 

Linderman,  J.  P. 

L 

1857 

Linn,  B.  F. 

Tr.  to  Erie 

1883 

Livesee,  J. 

Tr.  to  Providence 

1865 

Lodsdon,  C.  E. 

Tr.  to  Dakota 

1899 

Long,  H.  B. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1887 

Loveland,  F.  L. 

Tr.  to  Nebraska 

1906 

Luce,  0.  A. 

Tr.  to  Wisconsin 

1898 

Luce,  A.  A. 

Tr.  to  Arkansas 

1899 

Luce,  F.  W. 

Tr.  to  Saint  Louis 

1902 

Mabry,  W.  D. 

W.  under  charges 

1895 

Macurdy,  W.  C. 

Tr.  to  Montana 

1901 

Madison,  W.  C. 

Tr.  to  Colorado 

1885 

Magaw,  J.  E. 

Ex. 

1870 

MaUory,  D.  M. 

L 

1872 

Maltbie,  S.  B. 

L 

1898 

Manley,  S.  H. 

Tr.  to  Nebraska 

1871 

Marsh,  C.  H. 

W 

1895 

Masters,  Mark 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1906 

Mather,  F.  C. 

L 

1865 

May,  Eugene 

Tr.  to  North  Dakota 

1891 

Maynard,  0.  K. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1888 

McClintock,  A. 

L 

1868 

McElfresh,  A.  B. 

W.  under  charges 

1860 

McDonald,  Nial 

W 

1879 

McGurk,  D. 

Tr.  to  Saint  Louis 

1905 

McKee,  L.  U. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1897 

McKown,  J.  L.  G. 

Tr.  to  Cincinnati 

1868 

l8o  UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


McLary,  T. 

Tr.  to  Minnesota 

1875 

McLRUghlirij  J,  L. 

Tr.  to  Malaysia 

1901 

MiUpr  W  A 

L 

1  Rfi9 

ivici^orci,  u.  w . 

W 

1905 

Miller,  Emory 

ir.  to  Des  Moines 

1882 

Miller,  i .  A. 

T 

Li 

1897 

iviitcneil,  w .  ,', 

Tr.  to  Kansas 

1874 

MODDS,  rl.  M. 

ir.  to  JN.  W.  Iowa 

1890 

Moore,  W .  Kj. 

T 

1881 

Moore,  David 

T 

1895 

Money,  Kenneth 

rp      J      /"11  1 

ir.  to  Colorado 

1899 

Mossman,  G.  E. 

Tr.  to  New  England  Southern 

1906 

iNeiison,  i.  M. 

i  r.  to  IN .  iJakota 

1  nn9 

iMcnois,  i.  M. 

T 

Li 

1  CQ1 

iooi 

Nicholson,  Thomas 

ir.  to  iJakota 

1903 

iNorion,  r  .  J . 

ir.  xo  o.  L/aKota 

ioyo 

Uciei,  A.  IN. 

T 

Li 

ioDi 

Uliver,  J.  xl. 

ir.  to  b.  ivansas 

1899 

(Jliver,  i  nomas 

AIT' 
W 

1901 

Pancoast,  Samuel 

ir.  to  f  nuaueipnia 

1  sf;7 

Jr^ame,  \j.  r . 

T 

Li 

1  SQfi 
lovO 

r^earce,  Wm. 

ir.  to  Colorado 

1  con 

r^eterson,  u.  r. 

ir.  to  iNew  lorK 

1  otco 

Pilbeam,  Henry 

T 
Li 

Pomeroy,  C.  R. 

ir.  to  0.  Aansas 

Jr^ottle,  W.  A. 

ir.  to  i\.  w.  iowa 

1  Q01 
ioyi 

1  latt,  J.  JN. 

T 

Li 

1  8QQ 
loyy 

r^ratt,  (jt.  W. 

i  r.  to  IN .  w .  iowa 

1  884 

Raines,  Geo. 

L 

1873 

Reed,  Henry  W. 

Tr.  to  Kansas 

1876 

Reeder,  G.  A. 

Tr.  to  California 

1903 

Richardson,  I. 

L 

1896 

HISTORICAL  REGISTER 

i8i 

Rice,  M.  S. 

Tr.  to  Minnesota 

1904 

Rigby,  A.  E. 

Tr.  to  Dakota 

1899 

Risher,  D.  W. 

L 

1863 

Rogers,  C.  R. 

Tr.  to  Minnesota 

1879 

Rosa,  E.  D. 

L 

1868 

Rose,  0.  W. 

W 

1901 

Rowen,  J. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1871 

Reader,  Ralph 

W.  under  charges 

1906 

Sanford,  H. 

L 

1877 

Sanford,  A.  M. 

Tr.  to  Wisconsin 

1895 

Schram,  G.  A. 

L 

1893 

Scott,  G.  E. 

W 

1906 

Seaton,  J.  L. 

Tr.  to  Dakota 

1906 

Sedgwick,  H.  G. 

L 

1896 

Sheldon,  C.  E. 

L 

1904 

Sherin,  S. 

L 

1883 

Sherman,  E.  L. 

L 

1874 

Simpson,  Wm. 

Tr.  to  Erie 

1866 

Skinner,  D.  E. 

L 

1881 

Smith,  S.  G. 

Tr.  to  Minnesota 

1879 

Smith,  J.  B. 

Tr.  to  New  York  East 

1895 

Smith,  J.  A. 

Tr.  to  Central  Ohio 

1902 

Snyder,  S.  E. 

Tr.  to  Montana 

1887 

Shaffer,  N. 

L 

1866 

Sparks,  R.  H. 

Tr.  to  N.  Indiana 

1875 

Sparling,  W.  H. 

L 

1872 

Sparling,  E.  H. 

Tr.  to  Michigan 

1873 

Stanley,  George 

L 

1863 

Starker,  J.  B. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1874 

Stevens,  Julius 

L 

1871 

Souders,  J.  A. 

Tr.  to  Nebraska 

1894 

Stevens,  F.  I. 

Tr.  to  Colorado 

1905 

l82 


UPPER 


IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Stewart,  J.  W. 
Stuntz,  Homer  C. 
Stout,  J. 
Smith,  E. 
Spencer,  O.  M. 
Staebler,  D.  S. 
Stimson,  C.  E. 
Tauchen,  F.  H. 
Taylor,  B.  F. 
Thompson,  T. 
Thompson,  J.  H. 
Thompson,  F.  L. 
Thompson,  C.  A. 
Triem,  C.  J.  W. 
Truesdell,  C.  G. 
Thurston,  T.  W. 
Trevethick,  T.  H. 
Thorpe,  W.  L. 
Thorpe,  E.  L. 
Tunstall,  W.  V. 
Tuttle,  F.  I.  K. 
Tooke,  M.  M. 
Townsend,  H.  L. 
Van  Anda,  J.  A. 
Van  Arsdale,  I.  N. 
Vinell,  S.  E. 
Vinson,  F.  W. 
Wade,  R.  M. 
Waite,  Oren  B. 
Ward,  J.  A. 
Waters,  N.  M. 
Watts,  J. 


L  1857 

Tr.  to  Malaysia  1901 

W  under  charges  1865 

Tr.  to  California      •  1874 

L  1876 

W  under  charges  1906 

Tr.  N.  Dakota  1906 

W  1895 

Tr.  to  Colorado  1874 

Tr.  to  Nebraska  1878 

W  1903 

Tr.  to  N.  Minnesota  1904 

Tr.  to  N.  Dakota  1905 

W  1901 

Tr.  to  Rock  River  1869 

L  1862 

Tr.  to  Dakota  1905 

Tr.  to  Wyoming  1872 

Tr.  to  New  York  East  1888 

Tr.  to  Missouri  1865 

Tr.  to  Missouri  1870 

L  1861 

Tr.  to  Puget  Sound  1906 

W  under  charges  1865 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Indiana  1873 

Tr.  to  Iowa  1882 

L  1869 

L  1872 

Tr.  to  Colorado  1905 

L  1902 

Tr.  to  Rock  River  1895 

L  1858 


HISTORICAL  REGISTER 

0 

Warner,  H.  E. 

Tr.  to  Colorado 

1891 

Webb,  John 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1872 

Warner,  S.  B. 

Tr.  to  Minnesota 

1881 

Webber,  E.  E. 

W 

1873 

Weeks,  0.  W. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1893 

Webster,  B. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1872 

Webster,  J.  F. 

Tr.  to  W.  Nebraska 

1896 

Wheeler,  David  H. 

L 

1870 

White,  J.  B. 

L 

1859 

White,  S. 

Tr.  to  Minnesota 

1883 

White,  G.  W. 

Tr.  to  S.  California 

1884 

Whitfield,  Wilmot 

Tr.  to  X.  W.  Iowa 

1882 

Worts,  D.  C. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1874 

Wilkinson,  J.  M. 

Tr.  to  Minnesota 

1897 

WUkinson,  H.  S. 

Tr.  to  Dakota 

1900 

Wilkinson,  W.  A. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1903 

Wilson,  A.  B. 

L 

1880 

Woodford,  L.  C. 

Tr.  to  N.  W.  Iowa 

1884 

Wyckoff,  H.  E. 

W  under  complaints 

1899 

Witted,  J.  G. 

L 

1858 

White,  James  H. 

Ex. 

1869 

Young,  Emerson  K. 

Tr.  to  Des  Moines 

1881 

UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MINISTERIAL  RECORD. 

Albright,  W.  F.  1885-86,  East  Dubuque ;  1886-87,  Student 
in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute ;  1887-89,  Burr  Oak ;  1889-90,  Monona  ; 
1890,  Missionary  in  South  America;  1903-04,  Dumont;  1904-05, 
Rudd;  1905-06,  Beaman;  1906—  Plainfield. 

Albrook,  J.  Burleigh.  1870-73,  Central  City;  1873-74, 
Earlville;  1874-77,  Dyersville;  1877-78,  Maquoketa;  1878-79,  Ep- 
worth;  1878-83,  Principal  of  Epworth  Seminary;  1883-86,  Finan- 
cial Agent  of  Cornell  College;  1886-89,  Waverly;  1889-90,  Mason 
City;  1890-96,  Cedar  Rapids  District;  1896-97,  Marshalltown ; 
1897-1903,  Marshalltown  District;  1903-04,  Financial  Agent  of 
Cornell  College;  1904 — Davenport  District. 

Alden,  B.  D.  1862-64,  Dubuque,  Centenary;  1864-65,  Lan- 
sing; 1865-67,  Waukon;  1867-69,  Elkader;  1869-71,  Mitchell; 
1871-73,  Burr  Oak;  1873-76,  Edgewood;  1876-79,  Raymond; 
1879-80,  Staceyville;  1880-83,  Fredericksburg;  1883-84,  Monona; 
1884-86,  Lowden  and  Grand  Mound;  1886-88,  Norway;  1888-90, 
Walker;  1890-92,  Silver  Creek;  1892-94,  Editor  of  Inland  Chris- 
tian Advocate;  1894-95,  Assistant  Editor  of  Omaha  Christian 
Advocate;  1895-97,  Colesburg;  1897-98,  Palo;  1898-99,  Sup- 
ernumerary ;    1899 — Superannuate. 

Atchison,  Hugh  Darling.  1890-93,  Normal  Park,  Chicago; 
1893-94,  Fowler,  Chicago;  1894-99,  Wilmette,  Illinois;  1899-1900, 
Grace,  Portland,  Oregon;  1900 — St.  Lukes,  Dubuque. 

Bailey,  Hiram.  1875-76,  Traer;  1876-77,  Rock  Creek; 
1877-78,  Frederika;  1878-80,  Fairbank;  1880-82,  Otterville;  1882- 
84,  Toledo  Circuit;  1884-85,  Union;  1885-86,  Le  Claire;  1886-88, 
Oxford  Mills;  1888-90  Maynard;  1890-92,  Solon;  1892-94,  Lisbon; 


1.  F.  X.  Miller  5.  J.  W.  Gould  9.  W.  W.  Robinson  13.  F.  P.  Fisher 

2.  John  Gammons  6.  C.K.Hudson  10.  A.  D.  foster  14.  F.  P,  Shatter 

3.  G.  M.  Bing  7.  B.  S.  Bailcv  U.  L.  D.  Stubbs  15.  E.  G.  Copeland 

4.  R.  A.  Miller  .s.  J.  A.  Dearing  12.  T.  J.  Elwick  16.  K.  C.  Lusk 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


1894-96,  Stanwood;  1896-97,  Fairfax;  1897-98,  Beaman;  1898- 
1900,  Steamboat  Rock;  1900-04,  Superannuate;  1904-05,  Albion; 
1905 —  Calamus  and  Grand  Mound. 

Baker,  John  E.  1854-55,  served  in  Newark  Conference; 
1857-66,  Member  of  Wisconsin  Conference;  1866-68,  Buckingham 
(near  Traer):  1868-69,  LeGrand;  1869-70,  Shellsburg;  1870-71, 
Geneva;  1871-73,  Grundy  Center;  1873-90,  Supernumerary;  1890- 
92,  Walker;  1892-93,  Oasis;  1893-96,  St.  Ansgar;  1896— Super- 
annuate. 

Baker,  J.  F.  1866-67,  Center  Point;  1867-68,  Marion  Cir- 
cuit; 1868-69,  Otterville;  1869-70,  LeGrand;  1870-71,  Toledo  Cir- 
cmt;  1871-72,  Lowden;  1872-75,  LeClaire;  1875-77,  Camanche; 
1877-79,  Eldora;  1879-80,  Tama ;  1880-82,  Mechanics viUe;  1882-84, 
Sabula;  1884-86,  Preston;  1886-89,  Farley;  1889-92,  Gilman; 
1892-93,  Reinbeck;  1893-94,  Reinbeck;  1894-1900,  Supernumer- 
ary; 1900 — Superannuate. 

Ballz,  James.  1901-02,  Member  of  X.  W.  Iowa  Conference; 
1902-04,  GUman;  1904-06,  Steamboat  Rock;  1906— Viola. 

Bargelt,  H.  S.  1871-72,  Aplington;  1872-73,  Parkersburg; 
1873-74,  MaysviUe  and  Geneva;  1874-76,  Xew  Hartford;  1876-77, 
Dysart;  1877-80,  Marion  Circuit;  1880-81,  West  Branch;  1881-93, 
Member  of  the  Michigan  Conference ;  1893-95,  Staceyville;  1895-97, 
PostvUle;  1897-99,  Delmar;  1899-1901,  Clarence;  1901-02,  Miles; 
1902-04,  Calamus  and  Grand  Mound;  1904-06,  Low  Moor;  1906— 
Supernumerary. 

Barnes,  B.  C.  1856-57,  A  supply,  Greeley's  Grove;  1857-58, 
Cedar  Circuit;  1858-59,  Sac  and  Calhoun;  1859-61,  Linnwood; 
1861-63,  Spring  Creek;  1863-65,  PostvUle  and  Frankvillc;  1865-66, 
Burr  Oak;  1866-68,  Hopkinton;  1868-71,  Andrew;  1871-72,  Wy- 
oming; 1872-74,  SpringviUe;  1874-77,  Stanwood;  1877-78,  West 
Irving;  1878-79,  Tama  City;  1879-81,  Eldora;  1881-82,  Grundy 
Center;  1882-84,  Dysart;   1884-86,   Fairfax;   1886-89,  Lisbon; 


i86 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


1889-91,  Mt.  Auborn;  1891-93,  Nora  Springs;  1893-95,  Clarksville; 
1895-96,  Plymouth;  1896-99,  Luana;  1899-1901,  New  Albin;  1901- 
02,  Oilman;  1902-Superannuate. 

Bartlett,  E.  C.  1902-05,  Guttenburg;  1905— Student  in 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 

Bartle,  S.  D.  1894-95,  North  Chicago;  1895-96,  Irving  St., 
Joliet;  1896-97,  Serena;  1897-99,  Oasis;  1899-1903,  Solon;  1903— 
Mechanicsville. 

Barton,  H.  H.  1885-86,  Deerfield;  1886-87,  National; 
1887-89,  Elberon;  1889-91,  Ackley ;  1891-95,  Geneva;  1895-97,  New 
Hampton;  1897-1900,  Postville;  1900-01,  Reinbeck;  1901-03, 
West  Branch;  1903-05,  Delmar;  1905—  Clarksville. 

Barton,  H.  A.  1902-03,  Owasa;  1903-04,  Pleasant  Ridge, 
1904-05,  Elberon;  1905—  Albion. 

BiLLiNGSLEY,  A.  M.  1887-99,  Member  of  East  Ohio  Confer- 
ence; 1899-1902,  Member  of  the  St.  Louis  Conference;  1902-03, 
Cedar  Falls;  1903-06,  Clinton;  1906,  Mount  Vernon. 

BiNDENBERGER,  J.  Fred.  1900-03,  Student  at  Drew;  1903- 
04,  Geneseo;  1904-05,  Greene;  1905—  Hopkinton. 

BiNG,  Geo.  M.  1897-99,  Chelsea;  1899-1900,  Oasis;  1900-01, 
Ryan;  1901-03,  Norway;  1903-06,  Fairfax;  1906—  Walker. 

Bird,  James  Beet.  1897-98,  Geneseo;  1898-1901,  Student 
in  Theological  School;  1901-06,  Frederika;  1906— Waucoma. 

Birney,  Geo.  Hugh.  1902-03,  Steamboat  Rock;  1903-05, 
Lisbon;  1905—  Cedar  Falls. 

Bishop,  Alfred  T.  1897-1900,  North  Dakota  Conference; 
1900-02,  Calamus;  1902-04,  Miles;  1904-06,  Sheffield;  1906— 
Tama. 

Bissell,  John  William.  1871-72,  New  Hampton;  1872-73, 
Professor  of  Science  in  Upper  Iowa  University;  1873-74,  Acting 
President,  and  1874-99,  President  of  Upper  Iowa  University; 
1899-1900,  traveled  abroad;  1900-02,  Charles  City;  1902-04,  Grace 
Church,  Waterloo;  1904,— Cedar  Falls  District. 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


187 


Black,  J.  F.  1882-97,  in  N.W.Iowa  Conference;  1897-1901, 
Anamosa;  1901-03,  Eldora;  1903-05,  Maquoketa;  1905—  Grundy 
Center. 

Blodgett,  John  N.  1877-78,  Iowa  Falls  Circuit;  1878-79, 
Plainfield;  1879-80,  Bristow  and  Dumont;  1880-82,  Grand  Mound; 
1882-83,  Davenport  Circuit;  1883-85,  Bellevue;  1885-86,  Lamont; 
1886-88,  Chelsea;  1888-90,  Whitten;  1890-91,  LeGrand;  1891-93, 
Viola;  1893-96,  Langworthy;  1896-99,  Maynard:  1899—  Super- 
annuate. 

BowDER,  H.  J.  1886-87,  Luana;  1887-90,  Lansing  and  New 
Albin;  1890-95,  Center  Grove;  1895-98,  Lime  Springs;  1898-1900, 
Tama;  1900-04,  Sheffield;  1904-05,  Miles;  1905— Lisbon. 

Boyd,  Hugh.  1868-71,  Member  of  the  Ohio  Conference; 
1871-1906,  Professor  of  Latin  in  Cornell  College. 

Bretnall,  G.  H.  1897-98,  Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  In- 
stitute; 1898-99,  Preston;  1899-1901,  Instructor  in  Epworth 
Seminary;  1901-02,  Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1902-03, 
Principal  of  Port  Byron  Academy,  111.  1903 —  Professor  of  Biol- 
ogy, Monmouth  (111.)  College. 

Bretnall,  S.  C.  1886-87,  Frankville;  1887-88,  Ionia;  1888- 
89,  New  Haven  and  Elma;  1889-92,  Lowden  and  Grand  Mound; 
1892-93,  Coggon;  1893-96,  Blairstown;  1896-1900,  Montour; 
1900-02,  Fairfax;  1902-05,  New  Hartford;  1905—  Center  Point. 

Bretnall,  John.  1883-84,  Allison;  1884-85,  New  Hartford; 
1885-87,  Mitchell  and  St,  Ansgar;  1887-90,  Quasqueton;  1890-91, 
Stanwood;  1891-92,  Olin;  1892-94,  Monmouth;  1894-96,  Steam- 
boat Rock;  1896-97,  Toledo  Circuit ;1 897-99,  Fredrika;  1899-1900, 
Geneseo;  1900-02,  Clermont;  1902-04,  Oxford  Junction;  1904— 
Andrew. 

Brown,  Frank  Q.    1899 —  East  Dubuque. 
Bronson,  Solon  C.    1878-81,  Hopkinton;  1881-84,  First 
Church,  Waterloo;  1884-87,  Toledo;  1887-92,  Clinton;  1892-96, 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Member  of  Iowa  Conference;  1896 —  Professor  of  Practical  Theol- 
ogy in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 

Burgess,  Charles  W.  1870-72,  Farley;  1872-74,  Hopkinton; 
1874-76,  Colesburg;  1876-78,  Maynard;  1878-79,  Center  Point; 
1879-80,  Walker;  1880-81,  Cedar  Rapids  Circuit;  1881-82,  Marion 
Circuit;  1882-84,  Langworthy;  1884-1901,  Superannuate;  1901-02, 
Frankville;  1902-03,  Melbourn  and  Vancleve;  1903—  Superannu- 
ate. 

Burnett,  W.  S.  R.  1869-70,  Quasqueton;  1870-72,  Ray- 
mond; 1872-75,  Vinton  Circuit;  1875-76,  Monmouth;  1876-78, 
Preston;  1878-80,  Delmar;  1880-82,  Miles;  1882-83,  Supernumerary; 
1883-84,  Camanche;  1884-87,  Superannuate;  1887-93,  Supernum- 
erary; 1893-94,  Assistant  Superintendent  Children's  Home  Find- 
ing Society;  1894-99,  Superintendent  Children's  Home  Finding 
Society;  1899 —  Superannuate. 

Cameron,  J.  R.  1856-57,  Dubuque  Circuit;  1857-58,  Ash- 
land and  Smithland;  1856-60,  Hardin;  1860-62,  Burr  Oak;  1862-65, 
Elkader;  1865-68,  Hardin;  1868-69,  Lime  Springs;  1869-72, 
Waukon;  1872-74,  Frankville;  1874-77,  National;  1877-79,  Fred- 
ericksburg; 1879-81,  Maynard;  1881-83,  Nora  Springs;  1883-85, 
Luana;  1885-87,  New  Hartford;  1887-89,  Clarksville;  1889-91, 
Beaman;  1891-92,  Supernumerary;  1892-93,  RockweU;  1893-94, 
Supernumerary;  1894 —  Superannuate. 

Carlton,  W.  W.  1884-85,  Cottage  Hill;  1885-87,  Student 
in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1887-89,  Fairbanks;  1889-92,  Straw- 
berry Point;  1892-95,  McGregor;  1895-96,  Independence;  1896- 
1902,  Cedar  Rapids  District;  1902—  Mason  City. 

Carson,  Thomas.  1886-1902,  In  South  Dakota  Conference; 
1902-04,  Monmouth;  1904-06,  Shellsburg;  1906—  Central  City. 

Casper,  C.  C.  1894-1903,  In  Wisconsin  Conference;  1903-05, 
Bassett;  1905—  New  Albin. 


MINISTERIAL  REGISTER  189 

Cassidy,  F.  p.  1881-84,  Ionia;  1884-87,  Burr  Oak;  1887-91, 
Riceville;  1891-92,  Hawkeye;  1892-95,  Lime  Springs;  1895-96, 
Luana;  1896-97,  Waucoma;  1897-99,  Janesville-  1899-1901,  Ply- 
mouth; 1901-03,  Winthrop;  1903-05,  Raymond;  1905—  Maynard. 

Cattermole,  Edward  G.  1882-96,  Member  of  Central  Illi- 
nois Conference;  1896-1901,  Member  of  Montana  Conference;  1901- 
04,  Fayette;  1904-06,  Grace  Chm-ch,  Waterloo. 

Caffyn,  Jesse  Roland.  1899-1900,  Field  Secretary  for 
Upper  Iowa  University;  1900-02,  Student  in  Gai-rett  Biblical  In- 
stitute; 1902-05,  Lime  Springs;  1905—  Waukon. 

Chaffee,  W.  N.  1869-70,  Maquoketa  Circuit;  1870-72, 
Wapsie  Valley  Circuit;  1872-74,  Supernumerary;  1874-76,  Center 
Junction;  1876-78,  Miles;  1878-81,  Inland;  1881-84,  Clarence;  1884- 
85,  Conference  Evangelist;  1885-88,  Mechanics ville;  1888-89,  West 
Union;  1889-92,  Dysart;  1892-94,  Springville;  1894-96,  Field 
Agent  for  Cornell  College;  1896-97,  Kenwood  Park;  1897-98, 
Center  Point;  1898-1900,  Urbana;  1900-03,  Geneseo;  1903-04, 
Supernumerary;  1904-06,  Geneseo;  1906 —  Dumont. 

Church,  Hampden  S.  1859-60,  Colcsburg;  1860-61,  Sioux 
City;  1861-63,  Fort  Dodge;  1863-65,  Waverly;  1865-66,  West 
Union;  1866-67,  Charles  City;  1867-68,  Mechanicsville ;  1868-69, 
Marion;  1869-70,  Marshalltown ;  1870-72,  Grace  Church,  Water- 
loo; 1872-75,  Independence;  1875-77,  Anamosa;  1877-80,  14th 
Street,  Davenport;  1880-82,  Mason  City;  1882-83,  Decorah; 
1883-84,  McGregor;  1884-86,  Vinton;  1886-92,  Cedar  Falls  District; 
1892-94,  Grundy  Center;  1894-95,  Postville;  1895— Superannuate. 

Clark,  Lucius  C.  1893-94,  City  Mission  Work;  1894-95, 
Beaman;  1895-97,  Student  in  Boston  University;  1897-98,  Tama; 
1898-1901,  Eldora;  1901-03,  Belle  Plaine;  1903-05,  Osage; 
1905— Iowa  City. 

Clement,  William  H.    1887-90,  Member  of  South  Dakota 


190 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Conference;  1890-93,  Whitten;  1893-96,  Coggon;  1896-99,  Gar- 
rison; 1899-1902,  Conrad;  1902-04,  Union;  1904—  State  Center. 

Cleveland,  C.  W.  1894-95,  LeGrand;  1895-96,  Melbourne; 
1896-99,  Conrad;  1899-1900,  Laurel;  1900-03,  RockweU;  1903-04, 
Steamboat  Rock;  1904 —  Urbana. 

Clinton,  DeWitt.  1880-82,  East  JanesviUe;  1882-84,  Stu- 
dent in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1884-85,  Student  in  Cornell 
College;  1885-88,  Center  Grove;  1888-91,  Northwood;  1891-94, 
First  Church,  Waterloo;  1894-98,  Waverly;  1898-1900,  Mason 
City;  1900-03,  Iowa  City;  1903—  Vinton. 

CoATES,  Richard  W.  1874-75,  Albany;  1875-78,  Davenport 
Circuit;  1878-80,  Miles;  1880-83,  Le  Claire;  1883-86,  Wyoming; 
1886-88,  Charles  City;  1888-93,  Supernumerary;  1893-95,  La 
Porte  City;  1895-97,  Epworth;  1897-1901,  West  Branch;  1901-03, 
Mechanicsville;  1903-06,  Central  City;  1906 — Supernumerary. 

Cobb,  William.  1860-62,  New  Oregon;  1862-65,  Burr  Oak; 
1865-67,  Elkader;  1867-69,  National;  1869-71,  Hardin;  1871-72, 
Frankville;  1 872-74, Waukon;  1874-75,  Ossian;  (3  months  McGregor 
District);  1875-77,  Rockford;  1877-79,  Edgewood;  1879-82,  Earl- 
ville;  1882-84,  Lisbon;  1884-87,  Stanwood;  1887-90,  Center  Point; 
1890-92,  Shellsburg;  1892-1900,  Supernumerary;  1900—  Super- 
annuate. 

Coleman,  Frank  M.  1878-80,  Rockwell  Circuit;  1880-81, 
Union;  1881-83,  State  Center;  1883-86,  Hampton;  1886-88,  Fay- 
ette; 1888-92,  Cresco;  1892-98,  Cedar  Falls  District;  1898-1900, 
Hampton;  1900-03,  Marshalltown ;  1903-05,  Toledo;  1905—  Super- 
numerary. 

Cook,  Joseph.  1854-68,  In  Philadelphia  Conference;  1868-74, 
In  Wilmington  Conference;  1874-75,  Raymond;  1875-77,  Otter- 
ville;  1877-78,  Rockford;  1878-84,  Supernumerary;  1884-85, 
Prairieburg;  1885-86,  Bellevue;  1886-87,  Plainfield;  1887-88, 
Frankville;   1888-89,  Ionia;  1889—  Superannuate. 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


191 


Cole,  Frank.  1897-99,  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas;  1899-1902, 
Northwood;  1902-06,  Waverly;  1906—  First  Church,  Waterloo; 

Cole,  Charles  S.  1897-98,  Elberon;  1898-1900,  Blairstown; 
1900-04,  Greene;  1904 —  Supernumerary. 

CoPELAND,  Edwin  G.  1898-99,  Norway;  1899-1902,  Student 
in  Boston  Theological  School;  1902-05,  Kenwood  Park;  1905- 
Ackley. 

Crawford,  Hilles  T.  1898-1900,  Coldwater;  1900-01, 
Marble  Rock;  1901-02,  Cedar  Bluffs;  1902-04,  Van  Horne;  1904-05, 
Oasis;  1905—  Greeley. 

Crinklaw,  George  B.  1873-75,  Preston ;  1875-77,  Rockwell ; 
1877-79,  Geneva;  1879-81,  Beaman;  1881-83,  Monmouth;  1883-84, 
Olin;  1884-86,  Dubuque  Circuit;  1886-88,  Center  Junction;  1888- 
89,  Marion  Circuit;  1889-91,  Andrew;  1891-93,  Ridgeway;  1893-95, 
Quasqueton;  1895-98,  Dolhi;  1898-99,  Mitchell;  1899-1900,  Brown- 
ville;  1900-01,  Camanche;  1901-02,  Bennett;  1902-03,  Clermont; 
1903-04,  Rudd;  1904-05,  Plainfield;  1905—  Bassett. 

Crippen,  John  T.  1853-73,  Member  of  Oneida  Conference; 
1862-64,  Chaplain  117  Regiment  N.  Y.  Volunteers;  1873-75,  First 
Church,  Waterloo;  1875-77,  Financial  Agent  of  Cornell  College; 
1877-78,  Iowa  City;  1878-82,  Cedar  Falls  District;  1882-84,  Mason 
City;  1884-90,  Cedar  Rapids  District;  1890-91,  Marion  Circuit  (his 
own  request);  1891-97,  Marshalltown  District;  1897—  Field  Secre- 
tary for  Cornell  College. 

Croavder,  William  G.  1894-95,  Plymouth;  1895-96,  Stacey- 
ville;  1896-97,  Student  in  School;  1897-98,  New  Albin;  1898-99, 
Lansing;  1899-1900,  Grandview  Avenue,  Dubuque;  1900-03, 
Waukon;  1903-06,  West  Union;  1906—  Waverly. 

Curran,  Allen  B.  1895-97,  Cascade;  1897-1900,  Quas- 
queton; 1900-02,  Hopkinton;  1902-03,  Clarksville;  1903-06,  North- 
wood;  1906—  West  Union. 


192 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Davis,  B.  A.  1902-04,  Chelsea;  1904-06,  Whitten;  1906— 
Monmouth. 

Davis,  William  B.  1879-80,  Quasqueton;  1880-82,  Du- 
buque Circuit;  1882-84,  DyersvUIe;  1884-86,  West  Union;  1886-90, 
Wyoming;  1890-93,  Clarence;  1893-96,  Rockford;  1896-1900, 
Nashua;  1900-02,  State  Center;  1902-03,  Delmar;  1903-06,  West 
Branch;  1906—  Farley. 

Dawson,  John.  1894-96,  Kensett;  1896-97,  Brandon;  1897- 
1900,  Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1900-02,  Randalia; 
1902-04,  Greeley;  1904—  Hazelton. 

Dearing,  John  A.  1890-99,  Salvation  Army;  1901-02, 
Prairieburg;  1902-03,  Ryan;  1903-04,  Cedar  Bluff;  1904-05, 
Palo;  1905-06,  Allison;  1906—  Frederika. 

Debra,  Harvey  R.  1897-1901,  Member  of  West  Nebraska 
and  Rock  River  Conferences;  1901 —  Principal  of  Epworth  Sem- 
inary. 

DePuy,  Orin  C.  1891-94,  Asbury,  Dubuque;  1894-98, 
Farley;  1898-1900,  Hopkinton;  1900-01,  Grand  View  Avenue, 
Dubuque;  1901-05,  Strawberry  Point;  1905 —  Edgewood. 

DoLPH,  John.  1874-76,  Cresco;  1876-78,  PostvUle;  1878-79, 
Dryden  Circuit;  1879-80,  Ackley;  1880-82,  Albion;  1882-84,  Eldora; 
1884-91,  Supernumerary;  1891 —  Superannuate. 

Doner,  William  H.  1885-87,  Nora  Springs;  1887-90, 
Parkersburg;  1890-91,  Janesville;  1891-92,  Coggon;  1892-95, 
LeClaire;  1895-97,  Olin;  1897-1901,  Miles;  1901-04,  Clarence;  1904- 
Springville. 

Dorcas,  Harvey  F.  1897-98,  Urbana;  1898-99,  Alburnett; 
1899-1901,  Bassett;  1901-04,  Burr  Oak;  1904-05,  Randalia;  1905- 
Oasis. 

Dunham,  George  W.  1897-98,  Colesburg;  1898-1902,  Stu- 
dent in  Upper  Iowa  University;  1902-03,  Le  Grand;  1903-05, 


1.  C.  W.  Cleveland  5.  G.  W,  Rogers  9.  L.  C.  Lemon  13.  G.  B.  Crinklaw 

2.  A.  D.  Welch  6.  J.  J.  Littler  10.  R.  T.  Westren  14.  S.  C.  Platts 

3.  G.F.Sutherland  7.  H.O.Pratt  11.  H.  R.  DeBra  IS.  M.J.Locke 

4.  G.  H.  Kennedy  8.  J.  T.  Crippen  12.  M.  T.  Smedlev  16.  W.  G.  Crowder 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


Student  in  Madison,  N.  J.;  1905-06,  Volga  City  and  Elkader; 
1906 —  Center  Junction. 

Button,  Dean  C.  1901-04,  McGregor;  1904-05,  Field  Sec- 
retary of  Upper  Iowa  University;    1905 —  Anamosa. 

DwELLO,  Plimmon  N.  1889-92,  Elma  and  New  Haven;  1892- 
94,  Hawkeye;  1894-98,  Riceville;  1898-1900,  Monona;  1900-04, 
Center  Grove;  1904 —  Arlington. 

Dyre,  W.  Rankin.  1856-88,  Minister  in  the  Methodist 
Church  of  Canada;  1888-90,  Lime  Springs;  1890-94,  Inland;  1894- 
98,  Sabula;  1898-1904,  DeWitt;  1904—  Superannuate. 

Earhart,  Robert  N.  1860-61,  Maquoketa Circuit;  1861-62, 
Camanche;  1862-63,  Clinton;  1863-64,  Asbury;  1864-65,  Inde- 
pendence; 1865-67,  Grace  Church,  Waterloo;  1867-70,  West  Union; 
1870-73,  Toledo;  1873-75,  Osage;  1875-77,  Charles  City;  1877-79, 
Manchester;  1879-81,  Tipton;  1881-82,  Supplied  Webster  City; 
1882-84,  Ackley;  1884-86,  Grundy  Center;  1886-89,  Hopkinton; 
1889-90,  Jessup;  1890-95,  Monticello;  1895-97,  Wyoming;  1897- 
1900,  Olin;  1900-01,  Montour;  1901—  Superannuate. 

Eberhart,  Jeremi.ih  S.  1863-64,  Monticello;  1864-65,  Junior 
Preacher  Iowa  City  Circuit;  1865-66,  Osage;  1866-67,  Albion;  1867- 
70,  Toledo;  1870-71,  Jesup;  1871-72,  DeWitt;  1872-75,  Lyons;  1875- 
78,  Monticello;  1878-79,  Nashua;  1879-82,  Traer;  1882-1900, 
Supernumerary;  1900 —  Superannuate. 

Ellis,  Farnum.  1891-95,  Member  of  North  Nebraska  Con- 
ference; 1895-96,  Morrison;  1896-97,  Elkader;  1897-99,  Tipton 
Circuit;  1899-1901,  LeClaire;  1901-03,  Center  Junction;  1903-05, 
Elwood;  1905—  Delmar. 

Elavick,  Thomas  J.  1894-95,  Melbourne  andVanCleve; 
1895-97,  East  Janesville;  1897-99,  Plainfield;  1899-1903,  Rudd; 
1903-05,  Volga  and  Elkader;  1905—  Masonville. 

Evans,  Thomas  M.  1876-82,  Member  of  West  Wisconsin 
Conference;  1882-85,  Central  City;  1885-90,  Springville;  1890-95, 


194 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Charles  City  1895-97,  Vinton;  1897-1902,  Grace  Church,  Water- 
loo; 1902-06,  Marion;  1906—  Clinton. 

Fairall,  H.  H.  1861-65,  Member  of  Pittsburg  Confer- 
ence; 1865-66,  Independence;  1866-67,  First  Church,  Waterloo; 
1867-69,  Monticello;  1869-71,  Decorah;  1871-72,  Supernumerary; 
1872-77,  Secretary  of  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union; 
1877-78,  Supernumerary;  1878-81,  Agent  of  the  Am'erican  and 
Foreign  Christian  Union;  1881-85,  General  Secretary  of  the  Amer- 
ican and  Foreign  Christian  Union;  1885-87,  Secretary  of  the  Pro- 
testant Evangelical  Association;  1887-  Editor  of  the  Iowa  Method- 
ist. 

Fellows,  Stephen  N.  1854-60,  Professor  of  Mathematics 
and  Natural  Science  in  Cornell  College;  1860-61,  Dyersville;  1861- 
63,  Tipton;  1863-66,  Lyons;  1866-67,  Marshalltown;  1867-87, 
Professor  of  Psychology  and  Didactics  in  State  University  of 
Iowa;  1887-88,  First  Church,  Waterloo;  1888-93,  Manchester; 
1893-95,  Toledo;  1895-98,  Fayette;  1898-1900,  Grundy  Center; 
1900-  Agent  for  Conference  Claimant  Fund. 

Felt,  Carl  A.  1901-03,  Dike;  1903-06,  Student  in  Drew 
Theological  Seminary;  1906-  Assistant  Secretary  in  Young  Peo- 
ples Department  of  Missionary  Society. 

Ferguson,  Stephen  R.  1872-74,  Member  of  Des  Moines 
Conference;  1874-87,  Member  of  Iowa  Conference;  1887-89,  Mem- 
ber of  N.  W.  Kansas  Conference;  1889-92,  Gladbrook;  1892-94, 
West  Union;  1894-97,  Waukon;  1897-99,  McGregor;  1899-1902, 
Parkersburg;  1902-03,  Sumner;  1903-05,  Conference  Evangelist; 
1905-  Supernumerary. 

Fickle,  Albert  B.  1894-97,  Fredericksburg;  1897-99,  El- 
kader;  1899-1901,  Maynard;  1901-03,  Quasqueton;  1903-  Ply- 
mouth. 

Fisher,  Fred  P.  1895-97,  Alburnett;  1897-1900,  Central 
City;  1900-02,  Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1902-04, 
Geneva;  1904-06,  Stanwood;  1906-  Supernumerary. 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


Fleming,  Thomas  E.    1873-74,  Ridgeway;  1874-75,  Lansing; 

1875-  77,  Northwood;  1877-78,  Nora  Springs;  1878-79,  MitcheU; 
1879-81,  Elkader;  1881-83,  Waukon,  1883-86,  Fayette;  1886-87, 
Fourteenth  Street,  Davenport;  1887-92,  Davenport  District;  1892- 
96,  St.  Paul's,  Cedar  Rapids;  1897-98,  Eldora;  1898-1900,  Maquo- 
keta;  1900-04,  Decorah  District;  1904—  Dubuque  District. 

FooTE,  Horace.  1887-90,  Hansell  and  Dumont;  1890-93, 
New  Hartford;  1893-97,  Winthrop;  1897-1900,  Earlville;  1900-04, 
Hazelton;  1904-  Superannuate. 

Foster  Albert  T.  1880-87,  Member  of  Minnesota  Confer- 
ence; 1887-99,  Member  of  N.  Dakota  Conference;  1899-1904,  Mem- 
ber of  Minnesota  Conference;  1904-05,  Rhodes;  1905-  Union. 

Gammons,  John.  1884-86,  National;  1886-90,  Ridgeway; 
1890-93,  Edgewood;  1893-94,  El  wood;  1894-98,  West  Union;  1898- 
1901,  Fayette;  1901-  Cresco. 

Garrison,  George  L.  1862-64,  Cottage  Hill;  1864-65, 
Colesburg;  1865-66,  Superannuate;  1866-68,  Yankee  Settlement; 
1868-70,  Earlville;  1870-73,  PostviUe;  1873-74,  Luana;  1874-76, 
MitcheU;  1876-77,  Nora  Springs;  1877-78,  Mt.  Auburn;  1878-80, 
Brandon;  1880-82,  SheU  Rock;  1882-85,  Quasqueton;  1885-87, 
Masonville;  1887-89,  MitcheU  and  St.  Ansgar;  1889-92,  Oasis; 
1892-94,  Solon;  1894-98,  DyersviUe;  1898-1901,  Cascade;  1901-02, 
OtterviUe;  1902-  Superannuate. 

Gibbens,  William  A.  1880-87,  Member  of  Iowa  Conference ; 
1887-89,  Gilman,  1889-92,  Union;  1892-94,  Montour;  1894-95, 
Central  City;  1895-97,  Oasis;  1897-99,  Greeley;  1899-1901,  Straw- 
berry Point;  1901-02,  Maynard  and  Westgate;  1902-04,  Luana; 
1904-06,  Mt.  Auburn;  1906-  Geneseo. 

Goodell,  Merritt  a.    1871-73,  Olin;  1873-76,  Dryden; 

1876-  77,  State  Center;  1877-80,  Union;  1880-82,  Northwood; 
1882-85,  Oasis;  1885-87,  Monmouth;  1887-91,  Supernumerary; 


196 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


1891-96,  Fairfax;  1896-1901,  Lisbon;  1901-04,  Albion;  1904-06, 
Dumont;  1906-  Mt.  Auburn. 

GooDSELL,  Samuel.    1875-76,  Solon;  1876-77,  Colesburg; 

1877-  78,  Cottage  HiU;  1878-80,  Andrew  and  Lamont;  1880-82, 
Olin;  1882-85,  Center  Junction;  1885-87,  Quasqueton;  1887-88, 
Dyersville;  1888-89,  Staceyville;  1889-90,  Mitchell  and  St.  Ansgar; 

1890-  92,  Fairbank;  1892-96,  Maynard;  1896-98,  Lamont;  1898- 
1901,  Farley;  1901-03,  Morrison;  1903-04,  Dougherty  and  Aredale; 
1904-05,  Preston;  1905-  Supernumerary. 

Gould,  Charles  L.  1881-83,  Center  Point;  1883-85,  Student 
in  Boston  University;  1885-89,  La  Porte  City;  1889-91,  Nashua; 

1891-  95,  Tipton;  1895-98,  Charles  City;  1898-1904,  Davenport 
District;  1904-1905,  Marshalltown ;  1905-  Supernumerary. 

Gould,  J.  W.  1869-71,  Shell  Rock;  1871-73,  Northwood; 
1873-75,  Union  Ridge;  1875-76,  Monona;  1876-78,  FrankviUe; 

1878-  Superannuate. 

Green,  Harry  H.  1866-69,  Summer  Hill;  1869-70,  Mill 
Rock;  1870-72,  Maquoketa  Circuit;  1872-73,  Delmar;  1873-76, 
Wyoming;  1876-79,  Toledo;  1879-80,  Nashua;  1880-83,  JanesvUle; 
1883-84,  Plainfield;  1884-90,  Dubuque  District;  1890-96,  Decorah 
District;  1896-98,  Iowa  Falls;  1898-1904,  Dubuque  District;  1904- 
Supernumerary. 

Gruwell,  Elmer  T.  1892-96,  Mt.  Vernon  Circuit;  1896-99, 
Coggon;  1899-1901,  Oelwein;  1901-03,  Field  Agent  for  Cornell 
College;  1903,  First  Church,  Waterloo  (3  months);  1903-Hampton. 

Hall,  Elbert  D.  1885-86,  FrankviUe;  1886-87,  Union; 
1887-88,  Le  Grand;  1888-91,  Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute; 
1891-93,  Staceyville;  1893-96,  Lansing;  1896-97,  Mitchell;  1897- 
1900,  Supernumerary;  1900-01,  Otterville;  1901-  Supernumerary. 

Hall,  Vernon  E.  1899-1901,  Elma;  1901-04,  Ridgeway; 
1904-  McGregor. 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


197 


Hallett,  Albert  A.  1898-99,  New  Albin;  1899-1900, 
BrownvUle;  1900-01,  Student  in  School;  1901-03,  Cresco  Circuit; 
1903-05,  Mitchell;  1905-  Burr  Oak. 

Hammond,  B.  C.  1859-71,  Member  of  West  Wisconsin  Con- 
ference; 1871-74,  Member  of  Northwest  Iowa  Conference;  1874-77, 
Waukon;  1877-80,  Waverly;  1880-84,  Cedar  Rapids  District; 
1884-85,  Supernumerary;  1885-1906,  Chaplain  in  U.  S.  Army. 

Hanner,  J.  R.  A.  1883-84,  Hansell;  1884-85,  Sumner;  1885- 
87,  Student  in  Cornell  CoUege;  1886-87,  Supply  at  Lowden  and 
Grand  Moimd;  1887-90,  Monmouth;  1890-92,  Preston;  1892-97, 
Delmar;  1897-1900,  Sheffield;  1900-04,  Tama;  1904-05,  Oehvein; 

1905-  Epworth. 

Hawn,  Charles  A.  1859-65,  Member  of  Iowa  Conference; 
1865-67,  Montour;  1867-69,  Camanche;  1869-70,  Clarence;  1870-71, 
Mechanicsville;  1871-73,  Center  Grove;  1873-75,  Langworthy; 
1875-77,  Eldora;  1877-78,  Garrison;  1878-79,  Lisbon;  1879-81, 
Sabula;  1881-83,  Elwood;  1883-85,  Superannuate;  1885-87,  Center 
Point;  1887-90,  Inland;  1890-92,  Camanche;  1892-95,  Sheffield; 

1895-  97,  Tama;  1897-1903,  Superannuate;  1903-05,  Solon;  1905- 
Superannuate. 

Hayward,  John  H.  1870-71,  Fayette  Circuit;  1871-72, 
Frederika;  1872-74,  Hebron;  1874-75,  Supernumerary;  1875-78, 
Mechanicsville;  1878-80,  Riceville;  1880-81,  Raymond;  1881-83, 
Rockford;  1883-84,  Beaman;  1884-86,  Gilman;  1886-88,  Rockwell; 
1888-91,  Sheffield;  1891-92,  DeWitt;  1892-93,  Strawberry  Point; 
1893-94,  West  Branch;  1894-96,  Dubuque,  Grand  View  Avenue; 

1896-  97,  Conference  Evangelist;  1897-98,  Jessup;  1898-99,  Bran- 
don; 1899-1902,  New  Hartford;  1902-03,  Fairfax;  1903-06,  Floyd; 

1906-  Montour. 

Heatly,  Francis  T.  1886-87,  Lansing;  1887-88,  Clermont; 
1888-90,  Luana;  1890-92,  Frankville;  1892-95,  Lowden  and  Grand 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Mound;  1895-96,  Elwood;  1896-98,  Camanche;  1898-1900,  Du- 
mont;  1900-02,  ClarksvUle;  1902-05,  Edgewood;  1905-06,  Quas- 
queton. 

Hendricks,  T.  H.  1888-94,  Member  of  Dakota  Conference; 
1894-95,  Bassett;  1895-98,  Paris  and  Bonair;  1898-1901,  Ridge- 
way;  1901-  Supernvimerary. 

Hestwood,  James  F.  1854-55,  Millersburg;  1855-57,  Story 
Mission;  1857-59,  Boonesborough;  1859-60,  Eldora;  1860-62,  Man- 
chester; 1862-64,  Waukon;  1864-67,  North  McGregor;  1867-69, 
Strawberry  Point;  1869-71,  Superannuate;   1871-74,  Elkader; 

1874-  77,  Strawberry  Point;  1877-80,  Dubuque  Circuit;  1880-82, 
Center  Grove;  1882-84,  Masonville;  1884-86,  Farley;  1886-88, 
Lamont;  1888-93,  Tipton  Circuit;  1893-94,  Sabula;  1894-  Super- 
annuate. 

HiLBURN,  Joel.  1894-98,  Burr  Oak;  1898-1901,  Mitchell; 
1901-03,  Bassett;  1903-04,  Marble  Rock;  1904-Center  Junction. 

HiLMER,  William  C.  1893-1900,  Member  of  Chicago  Ger- 
man Conference;  1900-  Professor  of  Modern  Languages,  Upper  Iowa 
University. 

HiRSCH,  Arthur  H.  1901-04,  Dysart;  1904-05,  Janesville; 
1905-  Student  at  School. 

Holm,  Adam.  1873-78,  Principal  of  Epworth  Seminary; 
1878-79,  Dodge  City;  1879-82,  Professor  of  Latin  in  Upper  Iowa 
University;  1882-85,  Delhi;  1885-88,  Staceyville;  1888-91,  Blairs- 
town;  1891-92,  Sheffield;  1892-95,  Camanche;  1895-97,  Miles; 
1897-1900,  Fairfax;  1900-01,  Dysart;  1901-  Superannuate. 

HosKYN,  John  H.    1871-73,  West  Irving;  1873-75,  Solon; 

1875-  76,  Bradford;  1876-78,  Central  City;  1878-79,  Fairfax;  1879- 
81,  West  Irving;  1881-83,  Beaman;  1883-86,  Rockford;  1886-90, 
Janesville;  1890-91,  Parkersburg;  1891-94,  Nashua;  1894-97, 
Edgewood;  1897-1901,  Winthrop;  1901-03,  Arlington;  1903-  Super- 
annuate. 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


199 


Howe,  Delbert  N.  1890-93,  Calmar;  1893-96,  Waucoma; 
1896-98,  LeClaire;  1898-1900,  Marble  Rock;  1900-01,  Walker; 
1901-  Supernumerary. 

Hudson,  Carl  K.  1897-98,  Alburnett ;  1898-1900,  Stanwood ; 
1900-04,  Student  in  Boston  University;  1904-  Gladbrook. 

Hunt,  Emmett  G.  1885-90,  Hawkeye;  1891-92,  Assistant 
Pastor,  First  Church  Salt  Lake  City;  1892-94,  Liberty  Park,  Salt 
Lake  City;  1894-96,  Iliff  Church,  Salt  Lake  City;  1896-98,  Park 
City;  1898-1900,  Heath  Church,  Salt  Lake  City;  1900-02,  Liberty 
Park,  Salt  Lake  City;  1902-03,  St.  Ansgar;  1903-06,  Decorah; 
1906-  Parkersburg. 

HuRREL,  Jacob.  1866-67,  Spring  Creek;  1867-69,  Central 
City;  1869-70,  Strawberry  Point;  18*/ 0-72,  Center  Point;  1872-75, 
Fairbanks;  1875-76,  Quasqueton;  1876-78,  Brandon;  1878-79, 
Grand  Mound;  1879-80,  Olin;  1880-81,  Abbott;  1881-82,  Supernum- 
erary; 1882-  Superannuate. 

Jeffries,  Edward  W.  1858-59,  Delhi;  1859-61,  Dubuque 
Circuit;  1861-62,  Andrew;  1862-65,  Manchester;  1865-67,  Ana- 
mosa;  1867-68,  Mount  Vernon;  1868-69,  Agent  of  CorneU  College 
and  Pastor  St.  Pauls,  Cedar  Rapids;  1869-70,  Waverly;  1870-71, 
Supernumerary;  1871-72,  Located;  1872-73,  New  Hartford;  1873- 
75,  Eldora;  1875-77,  Nashua;  1877-78,  Center  Grove;  1878-79, 
Dyersville;  1879-81,  Lyons;  1881-83,  Wyoming;  1883-88,  Super- 
intendent of  Church  and  Sunday  School  Library  Work;  1888-1900, 
Supernumerary;  1900-  Superannuate. 

Johnson,  John  E.  1895-1900,  Member  of  New  England 
Southern  Conference;  1900-03,  First  Church,  Waterloo;  1903-06, 
Supernumerary;  1906-  Conference  Evangelist. 

Jones,  John  B.  1876-78,  Lisbon;  1878-81,  Central  City; 
1881-82,  Supernumerary;  1882-83,  New  Hampton;  1883-85,  Sta- 
ceyville;  1885-87,  Floyd;  1887-89,  Union;  1889-93,  Tama;  1893-95, 
Clarence;  1895-1900,  Traer;  1900-02,  Grundy  Center;  1902-03, 
Northwood;  1903-05,  Epworth;  1905-  Conrad. 


200 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Keeler,  Wilfred  C.  1897-1901,  Member  of  the  Iowa  Con- 
ference; 1901-03,  Dumont;  1903-05,  Staceyville;  1905-06,  With- 
out appointment  to  attend  school;  1906-  Grandview  Avenue, 
Dubuque. 

Keister,  Benjamin  B.  1892-1901,  Member  of  North  Ne- 
braska and  Arkansas  Conferences;  1901-03,  Marble  Rock;  1903-04, 
Supernumerary;  1904-05,  Albion;  1905-06,  Supernumerary;  1906- 
Garrison. 

Kennedy,  George  H.  1891-1900,  Member  of  Northwest 
Iowa  Conference;  1900-02,  Ackley;  1902-03,  Iowa  FaUs;  1903-05, 
Grundy  Center;  1905-  Oelwein. 

Keppel,  J.  H.  1863-1882,  Member  of  the  Canada  Conference ; 
1882-83,  Albion;  1883-84,  Colesburg;  1884-85,  New  Haven; 
1885-88,  Lime  Springs;  1888-90,  Clermont;  1890-92,  Floyd; 
1892-97,  Geneseo;  1897-98,  Marble  Rock;  1898-99,  Sabula; 
1899-1900,    Calamus;  1900-02,  Lowden;  1902-  Supernumerary. 

Ketchum,  Eugene.  1874-76,  Manchester  Circuit;  1876-79, 
Earlville;  1879-80,  Strawberry  Point;  1880-83,  Luana;  1883-85, 
Floyd;  1885-87,  Solon;  1887-88,  Stanwood;  1888-90,  Central  City; 
1890-93,  Mitchell;  1893-94,  Riceville;  1894-95,  Hawkeye;  1895-96, 
Geneva;  1896-98,  El  wood;  1898-  Superannuate. 

Kidder,  James  J.  1889-92,  Lament;  1892-95,  Fairbank; 
1895-1900,  Center  Grove;  1900-01,  Arlington;  1901-03,  Ply- 
mouth; 1903-05,  Sabula;  1905-  Elwood. 

King,  William,  F.  1862-63,  Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in 
Cornell  College;  1863-65,  Acting  President  of  Cornell  College; 
1865-President  of  Cornell  College. 

KiRWiN,  Will.  1898-99,  Mount  Vernon  Circuit;  1899-1901, 
Palo;  1901-04,  Urbana;  1904-06,  Walker;  1906-  Riceville. 

Knight,  Ernest  A.  1900-05,  Member  of  West  Nebraska 
Conference;  1905-06,  Sumner;  1906-  Shell  Rock. 


1.  M.  A.  Goodell  5.  N.  F.  Norton  9.  J.  B.  Bird  13.  F.  H.  Linn 

2.  F.  N.  Willis  6.  W.  N.Chaffee  10.  G.  W.  B.  Snell  14.  D.  N.  Howe 

3.  Mark  Masters  7.  \V.  W.  Carlton  11.  B.  C.  Barnes  15.  G.  L.  Garrison 

4.  R.  H.  Puckett  8.  C.  A.  Peddicord  12.  T.  H.  Hendricks  16.  C.  M.  Wheat 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


201 


Kyxett,  John  W.  1865-66,  Oxford  Mills;  1866-67,  Daven- 
port Circuit;  1867-68,  Langworthy;  1868-69,  Hebron;  1869-70, 
Bethel  and  Red  Oak;  1870-71,  Solon;  1871-72,  Big  Grove;  1872-75, 
Supernumerary.  1875-76,  Maynard;  1876-77,  Ridgeway;  1877-78, 
Grand  Mound;  1878-79,  Garrison;  1879-96,  Supernumerary;  1896- 
Superannuate. 

Lang,  Edward  A.  1900-02,  Allison;  1902-03,  Kensett; 
1903-05,  Dike;  1905-  Lime  Springs. 

Leaman,  Ernest  R.  1884-85,  Masonville;  1885-86,  Sumner; 
1886-87,  Plymouth;  1887-89,  New  Hartford;  1889-90,  Clarksville; 
1890-91,  Brandon;  1891-94,  Stanwood;  1894-96,  Lisbon;  1896-97, 
Dysart;  1897-99,  Delhi;  1899-1900,  Greeley;  1900-01,  Floyd;  1901- 
02,  Monona;  1902-04,  Calmar;  1904-06,  LeClaire;  1906-  Delaware. 

Lease,  William.  1857-59,  Strawberry  Point;  1859-61, 
Frankville;  1861-62,  Garnavillo;  1862-64,  Sabula;  1864-66,  Ma- 
quoketa  Circuit;  1866-68,  Maquoketa;  1868-71,  Independence; 
1871-73,  Anamosa;  1873-77,  Marshalltown  District;  1877-79, 
Lyons;  1879-83,  Davenport  District;  1883-86,  14th  Street,  Daven- 
port; 1886-88,  West  Union;  1888-90,  PostviUe;  1890-92,  McGregor; 
1892-97,  DeWitt;  1897-1900,  New  Hampton;  1900-01,  Mt.  Auburn; 
1901-03,  Floyd;  1903-05,  New  Albin;  1905-  Rhodes. 

Lee,  Edward.  1884-85,  Urbana;  1885-86,  Prairieburg; 
1886-87,  HanseU;  1887-88,  Montour;  1888-90,  Chelsea;  1890-92, 
Andrew;  1892-95,  Olin;  1895-96,  LeClaire;  1896-98,  Whitten; 
1898-1901,  Toledo  Circuit;  1901-02,  Beaman;  1902-03,  LeGrand 
and  Elberon;  1903-04,  Marion  Circuit;  1904-05,  Supernumerary; 
1905-06,  Norway  and  Walford;  1906-  Ryan. 

Lemen,  W.  Minor.  1879-84,  Member  of  Austin  Conference; 
1884-86,  Lisbon;  1886-89,  Fairfax;  1889-90,  Albion;  1890-92, 
Central  City;  1892-96,  Parkersburg;  1896-1900,  Rockford;  1900-02, 
Monticello;  1902-04,  Conrad;  1904-06,  Jesup;  1906-  Northwood. 


202 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Lemon,  L.  C  1884-1904,  Member  of  Nebraska  Conference; 
1904-  St.  John's  Church,  Davenport. 

Leonard,  P.  J.  1877-80,  Oxford  Mills;  1880-81,  Preston; 
1881-83,  Colesbiirg;  1883-85,  Montour;  1885-86,  V/hitten;  1886-88, 
Allison;  1888-90,  Greene;  1890-92,  Raymond;  1892-94,  Earlville; 
1894-99,  Hazelton;  1899-1901,  Fredericksburg;  1901-  Superannu- 
ate. 

Linn,  Fred  H.  1887-88,  Cascade;  1888-91,  Delhi;  1891-93, 
Guttenburg  and  Clayton;  1893-95  Janesville;  1895-98,  Hawkeye; 
1898-1901,  Lime  Springs;  1901-03,  Fredericksburg;  1903-06,  Rice- 
ville;  1906-  West  Branch. 

Littler,  J.  J.  1855-58,  Member  of  Illinois  Conference; 
1870-71,  Maysville;  1871-72,  Riceville;  1872-73,  Rockford;  1873- 
74  Clarksviile;  1874-77,  Cascade;  1877-78,  Nora  Springs;  1878-79, 
Lamoille;  1879-80,  Beaman;  1880-82,  West  Irving;  1882-84, 
Brandon;  1884-86,  Monona;  1886-88,  Fredericksburg;  1888-91, 
Luana;  1891-  Superannuate. 

LocKARD,  Luther  L.  1880-81,  Andrew;  1881-83,  Bellevue; 
1883-86,  Edgewood;  1886-88,  Earlville,  1888-89,  Epworth;  1889- 
93,  Hopkinton;  1893-96,  McGregor;  1896-99,  Decorah;  1899-1901, 
Wyoming;  1901-05,  Anamosa;  1905-  Maquoketa. 

LocKwooD,  Edmond  J.  1884-86,  Maynard;  1886-90,  Edge- 
wood  and  Greeley;  1890-92,  Postville;  1892-96,  Osage;  1896-99, 
Cedar  Falls;  1899-  St.  Paul's,  Cedar  Rapids. 

Locke,  Melvin  J.  1897-99,  Laurel;  1899-1901,  Marion 
Circuit;  1901-04,  Springville;  1904-06,  Clarence;  1906-  Tipton. 

LovELAND,  Frank  L.  1889-91,  Coggon;  1891-95,  Bowman 
Church,  Clinton;  1895-98,  Trinity,  Cedar  Rapids;  1898-1903, 
Vinton;  1903-06,  First  Church,  Waterloo. 

LusK,  Robert  C.  1892-94,  Elkader;  1894-97,  Elma;  1897-99, 
Strawberry  Point;  1899-1900,  Hazelton;  1900-02,  Greeley;  1902-04, 
Randalia;  1904-06,  Center  Grove;  1906-  Delhi. 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


203 


LusK,  I.  C.  1872-73,  Vernon  Prairie;  1873-75,  Bellevue; 
1875-76,  Preston;  1876-78,  Dclmar;  1878-79,  LaMoille;  1879-81, 
Springville;  1881-82,  Langworthy;  1882-84,  West  Branch;  1884-86, 
Dyersville;  1886-87,  Elkader;  1887-88,  Floyd;  1888-90,  Marion 
Circuit;  1890-92,  Jesup;  1892-93,  La  Porte  City;  1893-94,  Center 
Point;  1894-95,  Tipton  Circuit;  1895-  Superannuate. 

Lusted,  W.  H.  1883-84,  Sumner;  1884-86,  Plymouth;  1886- 
89,  Field's  Chapel;  1889-91,  Nora  Springs;  1891-92,  Rudd;  1892-96, 
Brandon;  1896-1901,  Raymond;  1901-04,  Cedar  Falls  Circuit; 
1904-05,  Supernumerary;  1905-06,  Raymond;  1906-  Superannuate. 

Magee,  John  C.  1870-71,  Rockford;  1871-72,  New  Hartford; 
1872-73,  Fayette  (Assistant);  1873-75,  La  Porte  City;  1875-78, 
Grundy  Center;  1878-80,  Maquoketa;  1880-83,  Waverly;  1883-85, 
Waukon;  1885-91,  Marshallto^\li  District;  1891-94,  Cedar  Falls; 
1894-95,  Vinton;  1895-98,  Hampton;  1898-1904,  Cedar  Falls  Dis- 
trict; 1904-  Decorah  District. 

Manley,  Wilson  E.    1893-  Missionary  to  China. 

Manning.  George  R.  1866-68,  Inland;  1868-70,  Wyoming; 
1870-72,  Bellevue;  1872-75,  Sabula;  1875-78,  Maquoketa;  1878-80, 
Agent  of  Cornell  College;  1880-82,  Supernumerary;  1882-84,  De 
Witt;  1884-86,  Epworth;  1886-88,  Waukon;  1888-91,  Clarence; 
1891-92,  Wyoming;  1892-96,  Lyons;  1896-1900,  Supernumerary; 
1900-  Superannuate. 

Manwell,  a.  C.  1853-56,  Member  of  North  Indiana  Con- 
ferece;  1856-73,  Member  of  Wisconsin  Conference;  1873-75,  Charles 
City;  1875-78,  First  Church,  Davenport;  1878-81,  Grace,  Waterloo; 
1881-83,  First  Church,  Clinton;  1883-87,  Davenport  District;  1887 
89,  Anamosa;  1889-91,  Waverly;  1891-95,  Supernumerary;  1895- 
Superannuate. 

Masters,  Mark.  1898-99,  Minerva;  1899-1900,  Melbourne; 
1900-03,  Laurel;  1903-06,  Montour. 


204 


UPPER   IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Maxfield,  Glenmore  E.  1900-04,  Minerva;  1904— Student 
in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 

McCoRD,  J.  W.  1876-93,  Member  of  Central  Illinois  Confer- 
ence; 1893-95,  Miles;  1895-96,  Reinbeck;  1896-97,  McGregor; 
1897-1900,  Waukon;  1900-01,  Monona;  1901— Superannuate. 

McIntosh,  Alex.\nder  M.  1881-84,  Riceville;  1884-86, 
Calmar;  1886-87,  Neligh,  Nebraska;  1887-88,  Delhi;  1888-90, 
Earlville;  1890-92,  Springville;  1892-95,  Epworth;  1895-99, 
Clarence;  1899-1903,  Epworth;  1903-05,  Lyons  Church,  Clinton; 
1905— Wyoming. 

Mellott,  William  R.  1881-1904,  Member  of  Wisconsin 
Conference;  1904-05,  Morrison;  1905 —  Sabula. 

Mershon,  Nelson  A.  1886-90,  Shellsburg;  1890-93,  Center 
Point;  1893-96,  Kenwood  Park;  1896-1900,  State  Center;  1900-05, 
Trinity,  Cedar  Rapids;  1905—  Toledo. 

Metcalf,  Jacob  B.  1883-84,  Urbana;  1884-86,  Garrison; 
1886-88,  Tipton  Circuit;  1888-89,  Toledo  Circuit;  1889-90;  Fair- 
banks; 1890-92,  Quasqueton;  1892-94,  Plainfield;  1894-95, 
Oxford  Junction;  1895-98,  Silver  Creek;  1898-1901,  Dyersville; 
1901-04,  Farley;  1904-05,  Greeley;  1905— Brandon. 

Miller,  E.  L.    1867-69,  Inland;  1869-70,  Grace,  Waterloo; 

1870-  72,  Lyons;  1872-73,  Clarence;  1873-76,  Decorah;  1876-78, 
Vinton;  1878-80,  Iowa  City;  1880-81,  Marshalltown ;  1881-85, 
Marshall  town  District;  1885-88,  Manchester;  1888-92,  Marion; 
1892-98,  Davenport  District;  1898-1903,  Toledo;  1903-04,  Iowa 
Falls;  1904-05,  Nora  Springs;  1905—  Agent  for  Cornell  College. 

Miller,  F.  X.  1857-58,  Delaware  Circuit  (which  included 
Manchester,  Earlville,  Edgewood  and  other  points);  1858-59, 
Frankville  and  Postvillc;  1859-60,  Lansing;  1860-61,  Junior  Preach- 
er, Vinton;  1861-63,  Colesburg;! 863-65,  Cascade;  1865-66,  Waverly 
andJanesville;  1866-67,  Waverly;  1867-69,  Sabula;  1869-71,  Marion; 

1871-  74,  Monticello;   1874-6,    Manchester;   1876-79,  Hampton; 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


205 


1879-81,  Charles  City;  1881-84,  Lyons;  1884-86,  Tama  City; 
1886-87,  Iowa  Falls;  1887-88,   Decorah;    1888-90,    Dyers ville; 

1890-  95,  Traer;  1895-97,  Bowman  Church,  Clinton;  1897-1901, 
Mt.  Auburn;  1901-03,  Conference  Evangelist;  1903-04,  Agent  of 
Upper  Iowa  University;  1904 —  Supernumerary. 

Miller,  Robert  A.  1882-84,  Ridgeway;  1884-85,  Monona; 
1885-86,   Oxford   MiUs;   1886-88,   Preston;    1888-91,  Elwood; 

1891-  92,  Monmouth;  1892-93,  Blairstown;  1893-94,  Whitten; 
1894-97,  Sumner;  1897-99,  Andrew;  1899-1901,  Low  Moor;  1901- 
06,  Bo-rtTiian  Church,  Clinton;  1906 —  City  Missionary,  Clinton. 

Mitchell,  Miles  E.  1899-1901,  Morrison;  1901-02,  Steam- 
boat Rock;  1902 —  Supernmnerary. 

Montgomery,  John.  1856-57,  Cedar  Rapids  Mission;  1857" 
58,  Marion  Circuit;  1858-60,  Marietta  and  Albion;  1860-61  Webster 
City;  1861-62,  Fulton;  1862-63',  Pleasant  Hill;  1863-64,  Andrew; 
1864-67,  Superannuate;  1867-68,  Albion;  1868-69,  Union;  1869- 
70,  Toledo  Circuit;  1870-71,  Prairieville;  1871-73,  Union;  1873- 
74,  Steamboat  Rock;  1874-75,  Marshalltown  Circuit;  1875— Su- 
perannuate. 

MossMAN,  G.  Elmer.  1900-03,  Coggon;  1903-06,  Student  in 
Boston  University. 

Norton,  Niram  F.  1882-83,  Windsor;  1883-84,  New  Haven; 
1884-87,  Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1887-92,  In  Arizona 
Mission;  1892-93,  Shellsburg;  1893-94,  Sumner;  1894-96,  Whitten; 
1896-1900,  Geneva;  1900-02,  New  Hampton;  1902-06,  Parkcrs- 
burg;  1906 —  Field  Secretary  of  Upper  Iowa  University. 

Paine,  Jason  L.  1866-67,  Supplied  Dakota  Territory,  "a 
circuit  150  miles  long  up  and  down  the  Missouri  River' ';  1864-66 
Lowden;  1866-67,  Davenport  Circuit;  1867-68,  Fayette  Circuit; 
1868-73,  Located;  1873-76,  Postville;  1876-78,  Cresco;  1878-80, 
Monticello;  1880 —  Superannuate. 


2o6 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Parker,  Daniel  M.  1880-83,  Lansing;  1883-84,  Student  in 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1884-87,  New  Hampton;  1887-88, 
North  Nebraska  Conference;  1888-89,  Grafton,  Dakota;  1889-90, 
Hawkeye;  1890-93,  Waucoma;  1893-97,  Nora  Springs;  1897-98, 
Supernumerary;  1898-99,  Hawkeye;  1899-1900,  Waucoma;  1900- 
02,  Postville;  1902-06,  New  Hampton;  1906—  Lecturer  on  Bibli- 
cal Literature  in  Upper  Iowa  University. 

Parkin,  Charles  A.  1891-93,  Clermont;  1893-95,  Gutten- 
burg;  1895-1900,  Calmar;  1900-01,  Field  Representative  of  Upper 
Iowa  University;  1901-04,  Jesup;  1904-05,  Conrad;  1905— 
Reinbeck. 

Parsons,  Rufus  D.  1867-70,  Lyons;  1870-72,  Waverly;  1873- 
75,  Clinton  and  West  Las  Ammas,  Colorado;  1875-76,  Cedar  Falls; 
1876-79,  Mount  Vernon;  1879-80,  Marion;  1880-82,  Vinton; 
1882-85,  Iowa  City;  1885-88,  Osage;  1888-90,  Fayette;  1890-93, 
Mason  City;  1893-97,  Manchester;  1897-98,  Vinton;  1898-1900, 
Waverly;  1900-02,  Maquoketa;  1902-06,  Tipton;  1906—  Clarence. 

Peddicord,  Charles  A.  1896-98,  Plainfield;  1898-1900, 
Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1900-01,  Tipton  Circuit; 
1901-04,  Camanche;    1904—  De  Witt. 

Perry,  DeWitt  C.  1893-94,  Jackson  Avenue,  Dubuque; 
1894-95,  Greeley;  1895-97,  Strawberry  Point;  1897-99,  Elma;  1899- 

1900,  Lansing;  1900-02,  Volga;  1902-06,  Bennett;  1906-  Stanwood. 
Perry,  James  D.    1889-90,  Silver  Creek;  1890-92,  Elkader; 

1892-96,  Floyd;  1896-98,  Walker;  1898-99,  New  Hartford;  1899- 

1901,  Janesville;  1901-02,  Raymond;  1902-04,  Shellsburg;  1904-06, 
Monmouth;  1906 — Allison. 

Perry,  M.  W.  S.  1891-96,  Member  of  Wisconsin  Conference; 
1896-97,  Frankville;  1897-1900,  Clermont;  1900-01,  Whitten; 
1901-02,   Chelsea;  1902—  Supernumerary. 

Piper,  Walter.  1893-96,  Prairie  Chapel  and  Wesley; 
1896-99,  Parkersburg;  1899-1904,  SheU  Rock;  1904-06,  Nashua; 
1906—  Rockford. 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


207 


PiTNER,  William  F.  1883-84,  Center  Point;  1884-86, 
Dysart;  1886-88,  Shellsburg;  1888-93,  Decorah;  1893-97,  Grace, 
Waterloo;  1897-99,  Manchester;  1899-1000,  Marion;  1900-03, 
First  Church,  Clinton;  1903—  Marshalltown  District. 

Platts,  S.  C.  1880-86,  Member  of  N.  W.  Iowa  Conference; 
1886-87,  Ackley;  1887-89,  State  Center;  1889-91,  Fairfax;  1891-94, 
Hazelton;  1894-97,  Earlville;  1897-98,  DeWitt;  1898-1900,  Ken- 
wood Park;  1900-02,  Calmar;  1902-04,  Waiicoma;  1904-05, 
Supernumerary;  1905 —  Superannuate. 

Pr.\tt,  Henry  O.  1877-80,  Fii-^t  C  hiircli.  Wr.tc  rloo ;  1880-82, 
Toledo;  1882-85,  St.  Paul's, Cedar  Rapi'.ls;  1SS5-SS,  Mar..halltown; 
1888-93,  Iowa  City;  1893-97,  Mount  Vernon;  1897-99,  First 
Church  Davenport;  1899-1904,  Manchester;  1904—  Iowa  Falls. 

PucKETT,  Rutherford  H.  1898-1905,  Pastor  in  Friends' 
Church;  1905—  Oilman.  1 

Pye,  Nathaniel.  1872-73,  Ridgeway;  1873-75,  Monona; 
1875-77,  New  Hampton;  1877-79,  Staceyville;  1879-81,  Mitchell 
and  St.  Ansgar;  1881-84,  Springville;  1884-87,  Lyons;  1887-88, 
McGregor;  1888-91,  Independence;  1891-94,  Waverly;  1894-96, 
Iowa  Falls;  1896-1900,  Belle  Plaine;  1900-02,  Marion;  1902-03, 
Grundy  Center;  1903-04,  Marshalltown;  1904-05,  Iowa  City; 
1905—  Charles  City. 

Rankin,  John  M.  1846-55,  Member  of  Pittsbm-g  Conference; 
1855-56,  West  Union;  1856-58,  Marshalltown  District;  1858-60, 
Vinton  District;  1860-61,  Vinton;  1861-62,  Dubuque  Circuit; 
1862-63,  Rockdale;  1863-65,  MarshaUtowTi ;  1865-66,  Superannuate ; 
1866-67,  Mechanicsville;  1867-69,  Tipton:  1869-72,  Iowa  City  Dis- 
trict; 1872-74,  Mechanicsville;  1874-77,  Springville;  1877-8,  Stan- 
wood;  1880-81,  Lowden;  1881 — Superannuate. 

RiDDLiNGTON,  JosEPH.  1856-58,  Maquoketa  Circuit ;  1858-59, 
DeWitt;  1859-61,  Vinton;  1861-63,  Waterloo;  1863-65,  Camanche; 
1865-67,  BcUevue;  1867-69,  Lansmg;  1869-71,  Cresco;  1871-74, 


208 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Floyd;  1874-76,  New  Hampton;  1876-93,  Supernumerary;  1893- 
Superannuate. 

RoBBiNS,  Kirk  Waldo.  1901-03,  Decorah;  1903-05,  Wau- 
kon;  1905 —  Professor  of  Philosophy  and  Biblical  Literature,  in 
Cornell  College. 

Robertson,  Frank  M.  1867-68,  Nashua;  1868-69,  Eldora; 
1869-71,  Hampton;  1871-72,  Manchester;  1872-73,  Iowa  Falls; 
1873-75,    Toledo;    1875-77,  Waverly;    1877-80,  Independence; 

1880-  81,  Monticello;  1881-82,  Decorah;  1882-83,  Supernumerary; 
1883-87,  Member  of  Puget  Si^aud  Conference;  1887-90,  Member 
of  South  Dakota  Conference;  1890-94,  Oelwein;  1894-96,  Arling- 
ton; 1896-1900,  Decorah  District;  1900-06,  Conference  Evangelist; 
1906 —  Supernumerary. 

Robinson,  John  Q.  1894-95,  Tabernacle  Circuit;  1895-99, 
Calamus  and  Grand  Mound;  1899-1903,  Lyons;  1903— Belle  Plaine. 

Robinson,  William  W.  1873-75,  Northwood;  1875-76, 
Frederika;  1876-77,  Rockwell;  1877-78,  Butler  Center;  1878-80, 
Bradford;  1880-81,  Brandon;  1881-93,  Located;  1893-95,  Hansell; 
1895-97,  Marble  Rock;  1897-1902,  Sumner;  1902-06,  PostvUle; 
1906—  New  Hampton. 

RoDGERS,  Charles  W.  1900-03,  Colesburg;  1903-05,  Mason- 
ville;  1905 —  Strawberry  Point. 

Rogers,  George  W.  1870-71,  Grand  Mound;  1871-72,  Oxford 
Mills;  1872-75,  Inland;  1875-76,  Raymond;  1876-77,  Edgewood; 
1877-79,  Monmouth;  1879-80,  Farley;  1880-81,  Center  Junction; 

1881-  86,  Supernumerary;  1886-89,  Le  Claire;  1889-90,  Solon; 
1890-91,  Supernumerary;  1891-93,  Elwood;  1893— Superannuate. 

Ross,  William  E.  1881-82,  Ward's  Corners;  1882-84,  Burr 
Oak;  1884-85,  Lime  Springs;  1885-86,  Hansell;  1886-87,  Geneva; 
1887-89,  Plymouth;  1889-90,  Brandon;  1890-95,  Frederika; 
1895-98,  New  Hartford;  1898-1900,  Walker;  1900-02,  Waucoma; 
1902-04,  Hopkinton;  1904—  Lamont. 


1.  G.  H.  Bretnall  5.  J.  0-  Robinson  9,  F.  C.  Witzigman  13.  J.  M.  Rankin 

2.  B.  A.  Davis  6.  B,  W.  Soper  10.  Milton  Swisher  14.  A.  T.  Bishop 

3.  A.  B.  Curran  T  N.  Fve  11  Rov  V.  Porter  15.  H.  T  Crawlord 

4.  Wm.  Cobb  8  W.  H.  Slinscrland  12.  J.  N.  Blodgett  16.  K.  W.  Kobbins 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


Salisbury,  Herbert  R.  1892-93,  Cresco  Circuit ;  1893-97, 
Clermont;  1897-99,  Fredericksburg;  1899-1903,  Delhi;  1903-05, 
Winthrop;  1905—  Staceyville. 

Sanford,  Osbert  M.  1902-04,  Pleasant  Ridge;  1904— 
Rockwell. 

Sanderson,  F.  H.    1905 — Fayette. 

Seaton,  John  L.  1895-97,  Guttenburg;  1897-1900,  Student 
in  Boston  University;  1901-04,  Grandview  Avenue,  Dubuque; 
1904^06,  Professor  of  Greek  and  Psychology  in  Dakota  Wesleyan 
University. 

Sessions,  C.  M.  1853-55,  Elkader;  1855-56,  Waukon; 
1856-57,  Waverly;  1857-58,  Waterloo;  1858-60,  Waterloo  Circuit; 
1860-61,  Waverly;  1861-62,  RockviUe;  1862-64,  Hopkinton; 
1864-66,  Groton,  New  York;  1866-68,  Located;  1868-71,  Center 
Grove;  1871-72,  Cottage  Hill;  1872—  Superannuate. 

Shaffer,  Frank  P.  1883-85,  Vinton  Circuit;  1885-87, 
Walker;  1887-90,  Trinity,  Cedar  Rapids;  1890-93,  Belle  Plaine; 

1893-  96,  Decorah;  1896-99,  Cresco;  1899-1902,  Tipton;  1902-05, 
Charles  City;  1905—  Osage. 

Shanklin,  William  Aknold.  1889-91,  Student  in  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute;  1891-96,  Member  of  Puget  Sound  Conference; 
1896-1900,  St.  Luke's,  Dubuque;  1900-05,  Member  of  Philadel- 
phia Conference;  1905 —  President  of  Upper  Iowa  University. 

Shear,  George  E.  1886-87,  Whitten;  1887-89,  Ackley; 
1889-92,  Reinbeck;  1892-93,  Supernumerary;  1893-94,  Albion; 

1894-  95,  Oelwein;  1895-98,  La  Porte  City;  1898-1900,  Greene; 
1900-03,  Rockford;  1903-04,  Nashua;  1904-06,  Tama;  1906— 
Supernumerary. 

Sheckler,  T.  H.  1875-85,  Member  of  Erie  Conference;  1885- 
94,  Member  of  North  Dakota  Conference;  1894-97,  Member  of 
Minnesota  Conference;  1897-1900,  Nora  Springs;  1900-03,  Sabula; 
1903-04,  Center  Junction;  1904—  Marble  Rock. 


2IO 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Shiffer,  James  K.  1879-80,  Charlotte;  1880-81,  Oxford  Mills ; 
1881-82,  Eldora;  1882-84,  Earlville;  1884-85,  Hopkinton;  1885-87, 
Supernumerary;  1887-88,  Raymond;  1888-90,  Center  Grove; 
1890-91,  Clarksville;  1891-93,  North  wood;  1893-97,  Supernumer- 
ary; 1897-1900,  Camanche;  1900-03,  Tipton  Circuit;  1903— 
Supernumerary. 

Shoemaker,  George  B.  1877-78,  New  Hartford;  1878-80, 
Greene;  1880-82,  Clarksville;  1882-85,  Traer;  1885-86,  Janesville; 
1886-89,  Jesup;  1889-92,  Grundy  Center;  1892-95,  Fayette; 
1895-98,  Toledo;  1898-1902,  Iowa  Falls;  1902-03,  Maquoketa; 
1903-06,  Eldora;  1906—  Geneva. 

Skinner,  Elias.  1851-52,  Otter  Creek  Mission;  1852-53, 
Sigourney;  1853-55,  Cedar  Rapids;  1855-57,  Agent  of  Cornell 
College;  1857-59,  Upper  Iowa  District;  1859-61,  Mount  Vernon; 
1861-62,  Superannuate;  1862-63,  DeWitt;  1863-64,  Chaplain 
24th  Iowa  Infantry;  1864-65,  Marion;  1865-67,  Tipton;  1867-68, 
Cedar  Falls  District;  1868-72,  Anamosa  District;  1872-76,  Dubuque 
District;  1876-77,  14th  Street,  Davenport;  1877-78,  Dyersville; 
1878-89,  Superannuate;  1889-90,  Raymond;  1890,  Superannuate. 

Skinner,  William  S.  1872-73,  Steamboat  Rock;  1873-75, 
Grundy  Center;  1875-77,  Shell  Rock;  1877-80,  Janesville;  1880-81, 
Nashua;  1881-88,  Supernumerary;  1888-91,  Mechanicsville;  1891- 
92,  LaPorte  City;  1892-94,  Jesup;  1894-96,  Dysart;  1896-97,  Volga 
City;  1897-99,  Supernumerary;  1899-1905,  Superannuate;  1905-06, 
Luana;  1906~Centre  Grove,  Dubuque. 

Slingerland,  William  H.  1879-83,  Member  of  Central 
Illinois  Conference;  1883-84,  Albion;  1884-85,  State  Center; 
1885-87,  Eldora;  1887-88,  Postville;  1888-90,  Traer;  1890-91, 
Agent  of  Cornell  College;  1891-93,  Marion  Circuit;  1893-94,  \^'au- 
kon;  1894-97,  Shell  Rock;  1897-99,  Epworth;  1899— Superintend- 
ent of  the  Iowa  Childrens'  Home  Society. 

Slocum,  Perkins  S.    1896-98,  First  Church,  Clinton;  1898- 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


211 


1903,  Member  of  Northwest  Iowa  Conference;  1903-04,  Asbury, 
Dubuque;  1904-06,  Farley;  1906—  Monticello. 

S-MEDLEY,  Merlin  T.  1859-71,  Member  of  Black  River 
Conference;  1871-72,  Tama;  1872-73,  La  Porte;  1873-74,  Clarks- 
ville;  1874-76,  Hopkinton;  1876-77,  Farley;  1877-78,  Center  Junc- 
tion; 1878-80,  MechanicsvUle;  1880-81,  Iowa  FaUs;  1881-82, 
Dyersville;  1882-83,  Dubuque  Qrcuit;    1883-85,  Mt.  Auburn; 

1885-  91,  Supernumerary;  1891-  Superannuate. 

Smith,  Albert  W.  1889-91,  Viola;  1891-92,  Norway; 
1892-97,  Center  Junction;  1897-99,  Wyoming;  1899-1901,  Deeorah; 
1901-03,  Wyoming;  1903-06,  Rockford;  1906-  Nashua. 

Smith,  Charles  E.  1897-98,  BrownvUle;  1898-1902,  St. 
Ansgar;  1902-03,  Hawkeye;  1903-06,  Fredericksburg;  1906- 
Postville. 

Smith,  Dilman.  1894-95,  Alburnett;  1895-97,  Central  City; 
1897-1901,  Springville;  1901-04,  Oelwein;  1904-  Traer. 

Smith,  Jesse  W.  1892-95,  Member  of  South  Dakota  Confer- 
ence; 1895-97,  Greeley:  1897-98,  Supernumerary;  1898-1900, 
Lamont;  1900-01,  Quasqueton;  1901-02,  Lime  Springs;.  1902-05, 
Brandon;  1905-06,  New  Hartford;  1906-  Fredericksburg. 

Smith,  Matthew^  Henry.  1870-71,  Strawberry  Point;  1871- 
72,  Lansing;  1872-74,  West  Union;  1874-77,  DeWitt;  1877-79, 
Traer;  1879-81,  Mount  Vernon;  1881-83,  Jesup;  1883-86,  Waverly; 

1886-  89,  Vinton;  1889-91,  Toledo;  1891-93,  Independence;  1893- 
94,  SheU  Rock;  1894-96,  Nashua;  1896-99,  Lyons;  1899-1901, 
McGregor;  1901-03,  Prairie  and  Wesley  Chapel;  1903-05,  Coggon; 
1905-  JanesvUle. 

Smith,  Merle  N.  1899-1902,  Member  of  Newark  Confer- 
ence; 1902-05,  Ackley;  1905-  Marshalltown. 

Smith,  Samuel  S.  1891-96,  Monona;  1896-1901,  Mechanics- 
ville;  1900-05,  Reinbeck;  1905-  Nora  Springs. 

Smith,  W.  H.    1888-97,  Member  of  Northwest  German  Con- 


212 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


ference;  1897-99,  Rudd;  1899-1901,  Plainfield;  1901-04,  Mount 
Auburn;  1904-  Calmar. 

Smith,  W.  Ward.  1863-71,  Member  of  West  Wisconsin 
Conference;  1871-74,  Plainfield;  1874-77,  Clarksville;  1877-80, 
Rockford;  1880-81,  Mount  Auburn;  1881-83,  New  Hartford; 
1883-85,  Supernumerary;  1885-90,  Frederika;  1890-91,  Supernum- 
erary; 1891-93,  Allison;  1893-1900,  Supernumerary;  1900-  Super- 
annuate. 

Snell,  George  W.  B.  1900-04,  Member  of  N.  Minnesota 
Conference;  1904-05,  Center  Point;  1905-06,  Garrison;  1906- 
Sumner. 

SoPER,  Benjamin  W.  1894-96,  Palo;  1896-99,  Viola;  1899- 
05,  Earlville;  1905-  Greene. 

Spry,  Will  F.  1893-95,  Tama  Circuit;  1895-97,  Rhodes; 
1897-99,  Shellsburg;  1899-1901,  Norway;  1901-04,  Stanwood; 

1904-  06,  Geneva;  1906-  Eldora. 

Stevens,  Albert  D.  1888-89,  Oxford  Mills;  1889-92,  Le 
Claire;  1892-93,  Sabula;  1893-94,  Conrad;  1894-95,  Northwood; 

1895-  97,  West  Branch;  1897-1900,  Edgewood;  1900-03,  Nashua; 

1903-  05,  Wyoming;  1905-  Lyons. 

Stowers,  Wilbur  J.  1897-1900,  Member  of  North  Dakota 
Conference;  1900-01,  Elkader;  1901-04,  Elma;  1904-05,  Ridgeway; 

1905-  Rudd. 

Stubbs,  Lerton  D.    1893-94,  Allison;  1894-96,  Raymond; 

1896-  99,  Student  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1899-1900,  Garrison; 
1900-02,  Shellsburg;  1902-04,  Walker;  1904-05,  Union;  1905-  Olin. 

Sutherland,  George  F.  1899-1900,  Oxford  Junction; 
1900-03,  Student  in  Drew  Theological  Seminary;  1903-04,  Assist- 
ant in  Open  Door  Emergency  Commission  of  Missionary  Society; 

1904-  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Young  People's  Department  of  the 
Missionary  Society. 

Swisher,  Leonard  A.    1898-99,  Jackson  Avenue,  Dubuque; 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


213 


1899-  1904,  Member  of  Northwest  Iowa  Conference;  1904-05, 
Hopkinton;  1905-  Trinity,  Cedar  Rapids. 

Taylor,  Thomas  E.  1887-88,  East  JanesvUle;  1888-90 , 
Marble  Rock;  1890-95,  Greene;  1895-96,  Cresco;  1896-99,  Inde- 
pendence; 1899-1901,  Osage;  1901-  Independence. 

Temple,  Thomas  H.  1903-05,  Clermont;  1905-06,  Randalia; 
1906-  Quasqueton. 

Townsend,  Herman  L.  1893-94,  Frankville;  1894-95, 
Bassett;  1895-97,  Center  Point;  1897-99,  Solon;  1899-1901,  Cedar 
Bluff;  1901-04,  Janesville;  1904-05,  Member  of  St.  Johns  River 
Conference;  1905-06,  Waucoma. 

Trimble,  Thomas  A.  1884-85,  Chelsea;  1885-86,  Waterloo 
Circuit;  1886-87,  Montour;  1887-91,  Geneva;  1891-92,  Blairstown; 
1892-94,  Gilman  and  Laurel;  1894-96,  Conrad;  1896-1900,  Rein- 
beck;  1900-03,  Riceville;  1903-05,  Clarksville;  1905-  Dike. 

Troy,  Horace  W.  1881-83,  Member  of  Minnesota  Confer- 
ence; 1883-87,  Member  of  North  Dakota  Conference;  1887-98, 
Member  of  West  Wisconsin  Conference;  1898-1900,  Charles  City; 

1900-  03,  Hampton;  1903-06,  Mount  Vernon;  1906-  Marion. 

Van  Buren,  Walter  E.  1893-97,  Elberon;  1897-1900, 
Center  Junction;  1900-02,  Delmar;  1902-06,  Monticello;  1906- 
Decorah. 

Van  Horn,  James  P.    1902-04,  Oasis;  1904-  Marion  Circuit. 

Van  Marter,  C.  N.  1890-1903,  Member  of  South  Dakota 
Conference;  1903-05,  Member  of  Northwest  Iowa  Conference; 
1905-  Conference  Evangelist,  Marslialltown  District. 

Van  Ness,  John  G.  1877-79,  Strawberry  Point;  1879-81, 
Wyoming;  1881-84,  Anamosa;  1884-87,  First  Church,  Waterloo; 
1887-88,  First  Church,  Davenport;  1888-92,  Maquoketa;  1892-97, 
Marion;  1897-1900,  MarshaUtown;  1900-02,  Mason  City;  1902- 
Cedar  Rapids  District. 


214 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Wagner,  James  E.  1890-98,  Minister  in  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian Church;  1898-1902,  Member  of  OUahoma  Conference; 
1902-04,  Nora  Springs;  1904-  Manchester. 

Waite,  Elon  G.  1864-70,  Member  of  Ontario  Conference, 
Canada;  1870-72,  Davenport  Circuit;  1872-73,  Lowden;  1873-75, 
Camanche;  1875-77,  Le  Claire;  1877-78,  Vinton  Circuit;  1878-81, 
Grundy  Center;  1881-84,  Supernumerary;  1884-85,  Springville; 
1885-88,  Central  City;  1888-91,  Miles;  1891-92,  Delmar;  1892-95, 
Wyoming;  1895-98,  Monticello;  1898-1901,  Jesup;  1901-  Superan- 
nuate. 

Ward,  A.  G.  1888-1904,  Member  of  Northwest  Iowa  Confer- 
ence; 1904-  Hawkeye. 

Welch,  Arthur  D.  1899-1901,  Asbury  and  Jackson  Streets, 
Dubuque;  1901-04,  Dyersville;  1904-06,  Student  in  Garrett  Bibli- 
cal Institute;  1906-  Missionary  in  Montana. 

Wheat,  Charles  M.  1869-71,  Frankville;  1871-73,  Mitchell; 
1873-75,  Belle  Plaine;  1875-77,  La  Porte  City;  1877-79,  Shell  Rock; 
1879-80,  Monmouth;  1880-81,  Farley;  1881-84,  Calmar;  1884-85, 
Albion;  1885-88,  Toledo  Circuit;  1888-90,  Montour;  1890-91, 
Dubuque  Circuit;  1891-92,  Grandview  Avenue,  Dubuque;  1892-95; 
Silver  Creek;  1895-99,  Otterville;  1899-1900,  Langworthy;  1900-05, 
Supernumerary;  1905-  Superannuate. 

Westren,  Richard  T.  1903-04,  Norway;  1904-06,  Albur- 
nette  1906-  Faulkner. 

Wilcox,  Henry  E.  1890-91,  Montour;  1891-93,  Conrad; 
1893-95,  Reinbeck;  1895-97,  Sheffield;  1897-99,  Bowman  Church, 
Clinton;  1899-1900,  Coggon;  1900-05,  Olin;  19d5-  Miles. 

Wilkinson,  Joseph  G.  1861-62,  Center  Point;  1862-63, 
West  Irving;  1863-64,  Spring  Creek;  1864-66,  Mays ville;  1866-67, 
New  Hartford;  1867-69,  Shellsburg;  1869-70,  Buckingham;  1870-72, 
Tama;  1872-73,  Belle  Plaine;  1873-74,  Ackley;  1874-75,  Rockford; 
1875-76,  Belle  Plaine;  1876-78,  Parkersburg  and  Applington; 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


215 


1878-79,  Mt.  Auburn;  1879-81,  Superannuate;  1881-83,  Chelsea; 
1883-  Superannuate. 

Williams,  Hadwin.  1889-90,  New  Hampton;  1890-92, 
Volga  City;  1892-97,  Ridgeway;  1897-98,  Kenwood  Park;  1898- 
1901,  Elwood;  1901-04,  Le  Claire;  1904-  Monona. 

Willis,  Fred  N.  1896-1905,  Member  of  Northwest  Kansas 
Conference;  1905-  La  Porte  City. 

WiTziGMAN,  Frederick  C.  1899-1900,  Owasa,  Gifford 
and  Robertson;  1900-01,  Rhodes;  1901-04,  Student  in  Drew  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  New  York  University;  1904-06,  Fairbank 
and  Dunkerton;  1906-  Sheffield. 

WoLCOTT,  William  A.  1894-95,  Andrew;  1895-97,  Lowden; 
1897-1900,  Ackley;  1900-02,  Edgewood;  1902-04,  Lamont;  1904- 
Supe^nume^ar3^ 

Wolfe,  Reese.  1865-66,  Lansing  Circuit;  1866-68,  New 
Hampton;  1868-69,  Fredericksburg;  1869-71,  National;  1871-72, 
LaMotte;  1872-75,  Center  Point;  1875-78,  Fairbank;  1878-80, 
Clarksville;  1880-81,  Vinton  Circuit;  1881-84,  Preston;  1884-87, 
West  Branch;  1887-89,  Silver  Creek;  1889-  Superannuate. 

Wright,  B.  A.  1882-83,  Northwood;  1883-85,  Greene; 
1885-87,  Mt.  Auburn ;  1887-90,  Dubuque  Circuit ;  1890-92,  Maynard ; 
1892-94,  Andrew;  1894-97,  Monmouth;  1897-1900,  Cottage  Hill; 
1900-  Superannuate. 

Wyant,  Richard  U.  1902-05,  Lansing;  1905-  Student  in 
Theological  School. 

Wyatt,  John  B.  1886-87,  Member  of  Northwest  Iowa  Con- 
ference; 1887-88,  Luana;  1888-90,  Calmar;  1890-92,  Lansing; 

1892-  96,  Lamont;  1896-1900,  Arlington;  1900-02,  Central  City; 
1902-05,  Garrison;  1905-  Kenwood  Park  and  Marion  Circuit. 

Wyatt,  Harry  F.  1887-89,  Monona;  1889-90,  Student  in 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute;  1890-92,  Cresco  Circuit;  1892-93,  Elma; 

1893-  95,  Strawberry  Point;  1895-97,  Andrew;  1897-1900,  Bennett; 


2l6 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


1900-  01,  Center  Junction;  1901-03,  Elwood;  1903-06,  St.  Ansgar; 
1906-  Luana. 

Wyrick,  Francis  H.  1884-86,  Hazelton;  1886-87,  Bellevue; 
1887-88,  Andrew;  1888-89,  Monona;  1889-93,  Winthrop;  1893-95, 
Hopkinton;  1895-1900,  Fairbank;  1900-02,  Lamont;  1902-03, 
Central  City;  1903-05,  Viola;  1905-  Supernumerary. 

Yaggy,  Samuel  E.    1895-96,  Cold  Water;  1896-98,  Allison; 

1898-  99,  Waterloo  Circuit;  1899-1900,  Elkader;  1900-01,  Urbana; 

1901-  06,  Student  in  Boston  University;  1906-  St.  Paul's,  Waterloo. 
Young,  Frederick  G.    1891-92,  Le  Grand;  1892-95,  Chelsea; 

1895-97,  Rockwell;  1897-99,  Supernumerary;  1899-1900,  East 
Janes ville;  1900-02,  Brandon;  1902-05,  Maynard;  1905-  Earlville. 

Young,  William.  1856-57,  Rockville  and  Cascade; 
1857-58,  Mineral  Creek;  1858-59,  Burr  Oak;  1859-60,  New  Oregon; 
1860-61,  Garnavillo;  1861-62,  Rossville  and  Ion;  1862-64,  Hardin; 
1864-65,  Postville;  1865-67,  Burr  Oak;  1867-69,  Fort  Atkinson; 
1869-70,  Colesburg;  1870-72,  Yankee  Settlement;  1872-73,  Straw- 
berry Point;  1873-76,  Hebron;  1876-  Superannuate. 

Zavodsky,  Frank  J.    1894-99,  John  Huss  Church,  Chicago; 

1899-  John  Huss  Church,  Cedar  Rapids. 

Probationers. 

Allshouse,  Henry.    1905-06,  Alburnett;  1906-  Coggon. 

Bailey,  Bert  S.    1905-  Tipton  Circuit. 

Brackett,  Alonzo  C.  1902-04,  Rhodes;  1904-06,  Toledo 
Circuit;  1906-  Steamboat  Rock. 

Brooks,  Arthur  A.  1902-03,  Blairstown;  1903-06,  Student 
in  school. 

Burnard,  Cuthbert  S.  1905-06,  Melbourne;  1906-  Whitten. 
Culver,  Harry  C.    1904-  Ryan. 

Ensign,  Charles  T.  1902-03,  Garwin;  1903-04,  Faulkner; 
1904-  Student  in  school. 


1.  L.  L.  Lockard  5.  W.  B.  Davis  9.  S.  R.  Ferguson  13.  J,  F.  Baker 

2.  H.H.Barton  6.  L.A.Swisher  10.  W.  M.  Lemen  14.  Walter  Piper 

3.  B.  B.  Keister  7.  T.  E.  Taylor  II.  J.  F.  Bindenberger  15.  G.  E.  Maxfield 

4.  John  Bretnall  8.  T.  A.  Trimble  12.  A.  C.  Brackett  16.  Frank  Cole 


MINISTERIAL  RECORD 


217 


Erb,  Jacob  C.  1905-06,  Colesburg;  1906-  District  Missionary. 
Johnson,  Samuel  C.    1905-  Lansing. 

Gallagher,  Le  Roy  E.  1903-04,  Owasa,  Gifford  and  Rob- 
ertson; 1904-  Laurel. 

Kuhlman,  Henry  W.  1903-05,  Beaman;  1906-  Student  in 
Drew  Theological  School. 

Marshall,  Ernest  H.    1905-  Pleasant  Ridge. 

McBride,  H.  p.    1899-05,  Member  of  Oklahoma  Conference; 

1905-  06,  Delhi;  1906-  Colesburg. 

McCabe,  Michael  J.     1905-06,  Owasa    and  Robertson; 

1906-  Luana. 

McCarl,  Fred  A.  1906-  Secretary  International  Y.  M.  C. 
A.,  Army  and  Navy  Department. 

Porter,  Roy  V.    1905-  Clermont. 

Potter,  Thomas  P.  1899-1905,  Member  of  Northwest  Iowa 
Conference;  1905-  Preston. 

Shoemaker,  George  M.  1904-05,  Gifford;  1905-06,  Aredale 
and  Dougherty;  1906-  Volga. 

Swisher,  Milton  S.    1905-06,  Coggon;  1906-  Fairfax. 

Williams,  Sylvester  V.  1904-06,  Van  Home;  1906- 
Student  in  Theological  School. 


2l8 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

METHODISM  IN  IOWA 

According  to  the  Methodist  Year  Book  for  1906,  the  six 
states,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Iowa, 
contain  over  one-half  of  the  aggregate  membership  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States.  These  States  may 
properly  be  regarded  as  the  garden  of  American  Methodism. 
Only  two  of  the  above  states,  viz.,  Indiana  and  Ohio,  outrank  Iov\'a 
in  the  proportion  of  Methodist  membership  to  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  the  state. 

English  spealdng  Methodism  in  Iowa  is  divided  into  four  an- 
nual conferences,  each  covering  approximately  one-fourth  of  the 
state. 

Tlie  loica  Conference  in  the  southeast  fourth  of  the  state 
was  the  original  c()iifercnc(>,  and  when  organized  in  1844  and  for 
twelve  years  thereafter  embraced  the  entire  state.  In  this  Con- 
ference there  are  now  (1006)  5  presiding  elders'  districts,  174 
traveling  preachers,  58  local  preachers,  33,077  church  members, 
322  Sunday  Schools,  3,788  officers  and  teachers,  28,221  scholars, 
340  churches,  valued  at  $1,074,373.00,  127  parsonages,  valued  at 
$201,150.00. 

This  Conference  maintains  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  University  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  which  was  founded  in  1842.  The  value  of  its 
buildings  and  grounds  is  estimated  to  be  $157,000.00;  the  total 
endowment,  $60,268.00;  professors  and  teachers  29;  total  students 
enrolled  408. 

The  Upper  loiva  Conference  in  the  northeast  fourth  of  the 
state  was  formed  by  a  division  of  the  Iowa  Conference  in  1856. 
In  this  Conference  there  are  (1906)  6  presiding  elders'  districts, 
275  traveling  preachers,  72  local  preachers,   36,714  members. 


METHODISM  IN  IOWA 


219 


319  Sunday  Schools,  3,927  officers  and  teachers,  29,965  scholars, 
329  churches,  valued  at  $1,731,000.00,  and  174  parsonages, 
valued  at  $343,525.00. 

This  Conference  sustains  three   institutions   of  learning: 

First.  CornellCoUegeatMount  Vernon,  situated  in  a  campus 
of  seventy-five  acres.  1150  students  have  graduated  from  the 
college.  The  total  enrollment  of  students  in  1906  was  775. 
It  was  founded  in  1853.  The  value  of  buildings  and  grounds  is 
$326,667.00;  the  total  endo^Tnent,  $450,000.00. 

Second.  Upper  Iowa  University  at  Fayette,  founded  in 
1857.  The  value  of  buildings  and  grounds  is  $150,000.00; 
the  total  endowment  $136,000.00;  professors  and  teachers  29; 
students  enrolled  568. 

Third.  Epworth  Seminary,  founded  in  1857  and  located  at 
Epworth.  The  value  of  its  buildings  and  grounds  is  $50,000.00; 
the  total  endowonent,  $17,000.00;  the  students  enrolled  165. 

The  Des  Moines  Conference,  called  at  first  Western  Iowa 
Conference,  was  formed  in  1860  by  a  division  of  the  Iowa  Confer- 
ence and  embraces  the  southwest  fourth  of  the  state.  From 
1864  to  1872  this  Conference  included  the  western  half  of  Iowa. 
This  Conference  contains  6  presiding  elders'  districts,  284  travel- 
ing preachers,  137  local  preachers,  52,569  members,  454  Sundaj^ 
Schools,  5,967  officers  and  teachers,  44,727  scholars,  459  churches, 
valued  at  $1,623,150.00,  201  parsonages,  valued  at  $343,500.00. 

The  Des  Moines  Conference  supports  Simpson  College, 
located  at  Indianola  and  founded  in  1867.  The  value  of  its  build- 
ings and  grounds  is  $123,000.00;  the  total  endowment  $90,211.00; 
professors  and  teachers  42;  students  enrolled  914. 

The  Northwest  Iowa  Conference  was  organized  in  1872  and 
embraces  the  northwest  fourth  of  the  state.  In  this  Conference 
are  5  presiding  elders'  districts,  223  traveling  preachers,  61  local 
preachers,  24,181  church  members,  282  Sunday  Schools,  3319 


220 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


officers  and  teachers,  25,534  scholars,  280  churches,  valued  at 
$903,050.00,  163  parsonages,  valued  at  $234,400.00. 

This  Conference  sustains  Morningside  College,  located  at 
Sioux  City  and  established  in  1894.  The  value  of  its  buildings 
and  grounds  is  $210,000.00;  the  total  endowment  $220,000.00; 
professors  and  teachers  28;  students  enrolled  648. 

German  Methodism  in  Iowa  is  divided  by  a  line  running  due 
west  from  the  city  of  Clinton;  all  north  of  said  line  is  included  in 
the  Northvv-est  German  Conference,  and  all  south  of  that  line  be- 
longs to  the  St.  Louis  German  Conference. 

In  the  Northwest  German  Conference  there  are  in  Iowa  1 
presiding  elder's  district,  32  traveling  preachers,  3,175  members, 
43  churches  valued  at  $123,350.00,  25  parsonages  valued  at 
$51,950.00,  46  Sunday  Schools,  564  officers  and  teachers,  2,710 
scholars. 

This  Conference  supports  Charles  City  College  at  Charles 
City.  It  was  founded  in  1891.  The  value  of  buildings  and  grounds 
is  $65,000.00;  endowment  $55,000.00;  total  enrollment  of  students 
240. 

In  the  St.  Louis  German  Conference,  there  are  in  Iowa  1  pre- 
siding elder's  district,  13  traveling  preachers,  1,215  church  mem- 
bers, 17  Sunday  schools,  162  officers  and  teachers,  944  scholars, 
20  churches  valued  at  $66,600.00,  13  parsonages  valued  at 
$21,500.00. 

This  Conference  supports  the  German  College  at  Mount  Pleas- 
ant, Iowa.  It  was  founded  in  1873.  The  value  of  buildings  and 
grounds  is  $20,000.00;  the  total  endowment  $30,000.00;  profes- 
sors and  teachers  5;  students  enrolled  80. 

SUMMAEY 

Uniting  the  above  statistics,  we  have  the  following: 

Presiding  Elders'  Districts  in  Iowa   24 

Members  of  Conferences   1,001 


METHODISM  IN  IOWA  221 

Local  Preachers   328 

Members  of  Churches   150,931 

Number  of  Sunday  Schools   1,440 

Officers  and  Teachers   17,799 

Scholars   132,101 

Number  of  Churches   1,474 

Estimated  value  of  Churches   $5,521,523 

Number  of  Parsonages   700 

Value  of  Parsonages   $1,196,025 

Institutions  of  Learning   8 

Value  of  Buildings  and  Grounds   $1,101,067 

Total  Endowment   $1,058,479 

Students  Enrolled  ;   3,798 


222 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 

The  Semi-Centennial  Celebration  was  held  during  the  fifty- 
first  session  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  Maquoketa,  October 
3,  1906.  A  commission  consisting  of  E.J.  Lockwood,  L.C.Clark, 
William  Lease,  B.  C.  Barnes  and  W.  W.  Carlton  had  prepared  a 
program  for  the  occasion  as  follows : 

Saturday,  October  6. 

10-00  A.M.    The  story  of  the  First  Conferenc  e. .  .  .Elias  Skinner 

10-30  A.M.    Semi-Centennial  Address  S.  N.  Fellows 

2-00  P.M.    Reception  to   Pioneers   of  Iowa 
Methodism,  followed  by  addresses 

by  Bishop  Cranston 

and  Rev.  Dr.  T.  S.  Henderson 
8-00  P.M.    The  Past  and  Present  of  Iowa 

Methodism,  William  Lease 

A  Tribute  to  the  Pioneer  Preacher.  .  .T.  E.  Fleming 
The  story  of  the  first  Conference  by  Elias  Skinner  was  a 
graphic  description  of  the  men  composing  this  Conference,  the 
conditions  under  which  they  lived  and  labored,  the  difficulties  they 
encountered  and  the  victories  they  won.  He  said  that  the  Sunday 
services  were  held  in  a  grove  near  town  and  that  a  lumber  wagon 
was  the  pulpit.  Standing  in  this  wagon.  Bishop  E.  S.  Janes,  the 
presiding  Bishop,  preached  a  wonderful  discourse  from  the  text, 
"But  this  man  because  he  continueth  ever  hath  an  unchangeable 
priesthood. " 

At  this  time  there  were  no  railroads  in  the  state  except  a 
line  from  Davenport  to  Iowa  City,  which  had  been  completed  a 
few  months  before.    The  preachers  came  to  Conference  on  horse- 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


223 


back,  in  carriages  or  covered  wagons  and  several  of  them  swam 
rivers;  for  the  rivers  were  unbridged  and  the  prairies  were  nearly 
roadless.  The  motto  was  "anj^'way  to  get  there."  In  making 
the  appointments  of  the  first  Conference,  not  one  in  twenty  of  the 
preachers  knew  where  he  was  to  go  prior  to  the  reading  of  the  ap- 
pointments, and  yet  all  went  cheerfully  to  the  field  assigned. 

Altogether  the  "Story  of  the  First  Conference"  was  full  of 
reminiscence,  combined  with  wit  and  wisdom,  and  was  told  in 
Elias  Skinner's  inimitable  manner,  and  was  listened  to  with  great 
interest.  Elias  Skinner  was  himself  a  pioneer  preacher  and  pre- 
siding elder,  loved  and  honored  by  his  brethren,  and  since  his 
superannuation  has  been  a  sympathetic  and  keen  observer  of  the 
work  of  the  Conference.  He  is  now  eighty  years  of  age,  and 
though  trembling  with  age  and  physically  feeble,  his  mind  is  clear, 
his  heart  is  warm  and  young,  and  he  retains  a  deep  interest  in  the 
young  men  who  are  taking  up  the  burdens  the  fathers  have  laid 
down. 

At  1 :30  P.  M.,  S.  N.  Fellows  delivered  the  semi-centennial 
address  to  a  large  and  deeply  interested  audience.  His  address 
appears  in  this  book. 

The  addresses  of  Bishop  Cranston  and  Dr.  T.  S.  Henderson 
were  appropriate  and  strong,  full  of  good  thoughts  and  eloquently 
expressed.  A  noble  tribute  was  given  to  the  fathers,  and  an  in- 
spiring exhortation  was  given  to  the  young  men  to  carry  forward 
the  work  now  committed  to  them. 

In  the  evening  a  very  large  audience  assembled  to  listen  to 
the  closing  addresses.  William  Lease  was  the  first  speaker.  His 
was  an  excellent  address  in  which  he  compared  the  past  and  pres- 
ent in  respect  to  type  of  piety,  difiiculties  encountered,  sacrifices 
required  and  victories  won.  He  spoke  from  his  own  observation 
and  experience,  having  been  forty-nine  years  an  active  and  efficient 
member  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference. 


224 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


He  was  followed  by  T.  E.  Fleming,  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Dubuque  District,  wlio  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  pioneer 
preacher.  His  address  appears  in  the  closing  pages  of  this 
volume. 

THE  UPPER   lOV/A  CONFERENCE 

ITS  RISE,  GROWTH  AND  ACHIEVEMENTS 
BY  STEPHEN  N.  FELLOWS,  D.  D. 

The  conditions  under  which  Methodism  was  introduced 
into  Iowa  were  very  different  from  those  that  prevailed 
in  the  older  eastern  states.  In  the  eastern  states  when 
Methodism  began,  towns  and  cities  had  been  built,  civiliz- 
ation established,  and  other  denominations  had  long  held 
the  field  and  obtained  the  influence  in  society  which  time 
and  position  secure.  Methodism  had  to  struggle  for  recognition. 
It  was  ofttimes  difficult  to  get  a  hearing,  for  Methodists  were 
considered  an  irregular  sect,  sometimes  disorderly,  and  hence 
were  unwelcomed  by  the  older  orthodox  churches.  Her  com- 
municants were  for  the  most  part  of  the  common  people,  ofttimes 
uneducated,  and  were  regarded  as  socially  inferior.  And  thus 
in  those  states  Methodism  grew  up  and  lived  overshadowed  by 
the  older  and  more  wealthy  churches.  Even  to  this  day  Method- 
ism does  not  rank  with  other  denominations  in  average  wealth  and 
average  social  position.  The  wealthy  aristocratic  people,  the  multi- 
millionaires, are  not  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Her  chief  membership  is  found  among  the  middle  and  poorer  classes. 
Many  years  ago,  an  editor  of  one  of  those  older  churches  boldly 
claimed  that  his  church,  more  than  any  other,  contained  the 
wealth  and  the  brains  of  the  country.  Dr.  T.  M.  Eddy,  then  our 
editor  at  Chicago,  replied  that  if  this  claim  be  true,  said  church 
more  than  any  other  was  doing  the  least  business  on  a  large  capital. 

In  Iowa,  Methodism  was  the  first  in  the  field  and  found  here 
a  virgin  soil.  During  the  same -year  and  within  five  months  of 
the  day  that  by  public  proclamation  white  men  were  permitted 
to  enter  and  settle  in  this  new  territory,  the  itinerant  circuit- 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


225 


rider  sent  by  the  Church,  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  and  began 
his  labors  in  the  cabins  of  the  newly  arrived  people.  Nowhere 
else  has  the  wisdom  of  our  itinerant  system  of  ministry  been  more 
manifest  than  in  its  adaptation  to  the  needs  of  a  new  and  undevel- 
oped country.  The  territory  was  so  vast,  population  so  widely 
scattered  as  to  present  peculiar  difficulties  to  all  attempts  to  supply 
spiritual  needs.  A  so-called  "settled  ministry"  was  helpless  to 
meet  these  conditions.  But  the  Methodist  itinerant  preachers 
sent  by  the  authorities  of  the  Church,  traversed  this  wide  extent 
of  territory  and  kept  pace  with  advancing  popiilation.  They 
preached  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  before  primitive  school  houses 
were  built,  in  cabin  and  barn  and  grove,  wherever  a  few  might  be 
gathered  together. 

Let  me  give  you  a  few  examples  of  the  early  circuits  and  dis- 
tricts. Marion  was  at  one  time  a  four  weeks  circuit,  with  forty- 
three  appointments,  and  included  all  of  Linn  and  parts  of  John- 
son, Cedar,  Jones,  Buchanan  and  Benton  Counties.  The  preacher, 
S.  W.  Ingham,  was  required  on  each  time  round  the  circuit 
to  swim  rivers  with  his  horse  from  three  to  six  times.  Lansing 
Circuit  extended  from  Lansing  to  Decorah  and  West  Union  and 
was  traveled  every  three  weeks. 

In  1839  Bishop  T.  A.  Morris  united  the  nine  circuits  in  Iowa 
into  the  Iowa  District  with  Henry  Summers  as  presiding  elder. 
This  district  covered  aU  the  settlements  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River  and  extended  from  the  mouth  of  the  Turkey  River  on  the 
north  to  the  state  of  Missouri  on  the  south,  and  contained  a  total 
population  of  less  than  thirty  thousand, — about  the  present 
population  of  Cedar  Rapids.  Over  this  vast  district  the  heroic 
and  apostolic  Summers  traveled,  swimming  rivers,  crossing  vast 
roadless  and  uninhabited  prairies,  through  wijiter's  cold  and  sum- 
mer's heat;  sleeping  ofttimes  by  night  in  the  open  prairie  with  the 
sky  for  a  covering,  his  saddle  bags  for  a  pillow,  and  his  faithful 


226 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


horse  tethered  near  by  for  a  companion.  It  is  written  of  Elder 
Summers  that  he  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  his  preaching 
was  with  power,  his  passion  for  souls  was  intense  and  many  were 
converted  at  his  quarterly  meetings. 

The  itinerant  system  of  ministry,  which  united  classes  into  cir- 
cuits, circuits  into  districts,  and  districts  into  a  conference,  covered 
the  whole  territory  so  that  no  part  was  neglected ;  the  most  remote 
cabin  on  the  frontier  was  reached,  and  all  so  arranged  that  every  class 
had  a  preacher  in  charge,  and  every  preacher  had  a  definitely  assigned 
field  of  labor.  Thus  unity  and  efficiency  were  secured  to  the  united 
labors  of  the  church.  By  these  means,  Methodism  in  advance  of 
other  churches,  planted  her  standards  in  every  village,  hamlet 
and  settlement  and  pre-empted  this  fair  domain  for  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  circuit  system  allowed  a  great  variety  of  talent  to  be  em- 
ployed in  the  ministry.  The  preacher  in  charge  was  usually  a 
man  of  experience,  and  with  him  was  associated  a  young  and 
inexperienced  minister  for  trial  and  training.  It  was  believed  that 
a  young  man  entering  the  ministry  "should  be  trained  in  the  work 
for  the  work."  In  this  way  young  men  from  farm,  shop  and  store, 
with  a  limited  education,  but  with  a  bright  and  clear  religious 
experience  and  a  passion  for  the  salvation  of  men,  were  caUed 
into  the  service  and  practically  trained  and  developed  into  efficient 
ministers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  preaching  of  that  early  day  was  pre-eminently  evan- 
gelistic. One  of  these  early  pioneer  preachers  said  to  the  writer: 
"I  did  not  preach  prepared  sermons  as  you  do.  I  simply  told  the 
story  of  the  undying  love  of  Jesus  and  related  my  own  experience 
of  salvation  through  Christ,  and  as  I  did  so  I  cried  and  other  men 
cried  and  were  converted." 

The  epochs  that  mark  the  rapid  growth  of  Methodism  in 
Iowa  are  these: 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


227 


The  First  ]\Iethodist  Sermon  in  Dubuque  in  1833 

The  First  Class  formed  in  Dubuque  in  1834 

The  First  Presiding  Elder's  District  formed  in  1839 

The  First  Iowa  Annual  Conference  organized  in  .  .  .1844 

The  Upper  Iowa  Conference  Organized  in  1856 

At  its  organization  our  Conference  embraced  about  four- 
sevenths  of  the  state.  The  present  south  boundary  line  ex- 
tended due  west  to  the  Missouri  River.  All  of  the  state  north  of 
that  line  and  all  settlements  west  of  the  Missouri  River,  were  in- 
cluded in  the  original  Conference.  Excepting  a  few  settlements 
on  the  Missouri  River  in  and  near  Sioux  City,  the  western  half 
of  the  Conference  territory  was  still  practically  an  uninhabited 
prairie  wilderness.  In  1864  the  Conference  territory  was  divided 
and  the  present  western  boundary  line  of  the  Conference  was  estab- 
lished. 

THE  FATHERS. 

It  is  said  to  be  "a  good  thing  for  a  man  to  be  well  born." 
It  is  equally  true  of  a  Conference.  Who,  then,  were  the  fathers, 
the  moulders  of  thought,  who  determined  the  spirit  and  grade  and 
work,  in  the  early  years  of  our  Conference? 

The  Bishops  who  presided  over  the  first  sixteen  sessions  of 
the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  viz:  Bishops  Janes,  Ames,  Morris, 
Baker,  Scott,  Simpson  and  Clark,  were  all  the  cotemporaries 
of  Bishops  Coke  and  Asbury. 

Five  of  the  Presiding  Elders  of  our  Conference  at  its  organiz- 
ation, viz. ;  John  C.  Ayres,  H.  W.  Reed,  Andrew  Coleman,  Harvey 
S.  Bronson  and  Landon  Taylor  were  also  the  cotemporaries  of 
Bishop  Asbury. 

To  these  may  be  added  the  names  of  Jacob  G.  Dimmitt, 
James  Gilruth,  Alcinous  Young,  John  Scoles,  D.  N.  Holmes,  John 
Gould,  S.  Y.  Harmer,  H.  W.  Houghton,  Asahel  Bronson  and  G.  B. 


228 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Bowman,  all  of  whom  lived  in  the  days  of  Asbury;  and  five  of 
whom  became  presiding  elders  in  the  early  years  of  the  Conference. 

A  little  younger  than  these  were  Joel  B.  Taylor,  Richard  W. 
Keeler,  Philo  E.  Brown,  Richard  Swearingen,  Alpha  J.  Kynett, 
J.  M.  Rankin  and  Elias  Skinner.  These  men  and  others  that  might 
be  named  of  the  original  Conference  were  trained  in  the  school 
of  the  fathers, — bronzed  by  exposures,  hardened  by  toil,  skilled 
by  experience  and  baptized  for  their  work, — many  of  them  were 
of  the  truest  types  of  devoted  pioneer  itinerant  preachers.  They 
believed,  taught  and  practiced  that  "a  Methodist  preacher  should 
be  a  man  of  one  work,"  that  "he  should  be  wholly  devoted  to  the 
saving  of  souls,"  and  that  "he  should  obey  the  Discipline."  These 
were  the  men  who  under  God  gave  form  and  shape  and  spirit  to 
the  work  of  the  Conference  and  were  the  leaders  in  the  Conference 
during  its  earliest  and  formative  period. 

It  is  impossible  to  compare  these  men  with  the  preachers  of 
to-day.  As  stationed  preachers  in  cities  preaching  twice  each 
Sunday  to  the  same  congregation  for  a  series  of  years  with  all  the 
other  demands  upon  a  present  pastor,  those  early  men  might  and 
probably  some  would  have  failed.  Nor,  it  may  be,  would  the  pres- 
ent popular  and  successful  pastor  have  the  nerye,  the  faith,  the 
courage  and  zeal  to  withstand  the  buffetings  of  the  fathers,  endure 
their  hardships,  brave  their  dangers  and  win  their  victories.  Every 
man  should  be  judged  by  the  demands  of  his  day  and  the  manner 
in  which  he  meets  them.  Applying  this  rule  to  the  early  itiner- 
ant leaders  and  their  times,  we  declare  that  their  loyalty  to  the  doc- 
trines of  Christ  and  the  Church,  their  untiring  zeal  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  their  sound  judgment  and  practical  common  sense, 
their  modest  and  Christian  bearing  as  ministers  of  high  qualifi- 
cations, place  them  among  the  great  and  worthy  men  of  our  de- 
nomination whose  history  is  an  honor  to  the  Church  and  to  Chris- 
tianity. They  preached  the  word  plainly  and  honestly.  They 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


229 


were  faithful  to  their  conscience,  to  the  truth  and  to  the  people. 
They  showed  indomitable  zeal  that  may  well  be  called  enthusiasm. 
They  possessed  the  integrity  and  courage  of  the  earlier  Methodist 
preachers,  who  in  peril,  in  weariness  and  want,  were  true  and  stead- 
fast to  their  high  commission,  and  in  every  place  declared  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.  Well  is  it  for  the  Conference  to  have  puch 
fathers  who  lay  its  foundations,  and  well  for  the  Conference  when 
her  sons  build  wisely  on  the  foundations  the  fathers  have  laid. 

Truthfully  does  President  Roosevelt  say :  "  The  pioneer  preach- 
er did  more  than  all  other  forces  combined  to  shape  the  character 
and  create  the  standards  of  the  growing  western  civilization." 

GROWTH  IN  CHURCH  MEMBERSHIP. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  during  the  early  yeai-s  of  the  Con- 
ference there  was  a  large  immigration  into  our  territory  from 
other  states  and  across  the  sea.  Many  of  these  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  our  societies  were  greatly 
increased  and  strengthened  hy  their  coming.  During  the  later 
years  there  has  been  a  large  emigration  from  us  into  counties  and 
states  west  and  northwest,  which  has  caused  a  depletion  in  miany 
of  our  churches,  and  the  abandonment  of  ground  held  by  some 
societies. 

From  18^6  to  1872  there  was  a  constant  and  rapid  increase 
in  membership,  except  in  the  years  1861  to  1863.  In  these  two 
yeai-s  there  was  an  alarming  decrease  in  membership  of  twenty 
per  cent.  These  were  the  days  of  the  terrible  civil  war  when  Iowa 
sent  over  ten  per  cent,  of  her  population  into  the  Union  Army. 
Over  eighty  thousand  men  in  the  prime  and  vigor  of  their  man- 
hood left  their  Iowa  homes  and  imperiled  their  lives  in  the  war 
to  save  our  country.  Every  pastor  of  that  period  remembers 
those  awful  years.  Business  was  well  nigh  paralyzed,  many 
schools  were  closed,  churches  were  distracted  and  torn,  and  fam- 


230 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


ilies  disrupted  by  the  absence  of  husbands,  sons  and  fathers  in 
the  army.  In  addition  to  his  ordinary  duties,  the  pastor  was 
called  upon  to  address  and  encourage  companies  of  soldiers  when 
leaving  for  the  battlefield,  to  cheer  and  comfort  soldiers'  families 
left  behind,  to  write  letters  of  hope  and  inspiration  to  the  brave 
boys  in  the  army,  to  carry  the  sad  news  of  loss  in  battle  to  the 
bereaved  wives  and  mothers,  and  to  preach  the  funeral  sermons 
of  soldiers  slain. 

As  soon  as  the  war  was  over  prosperity  returned  to  the  church- 
es and  in  three  years  all  losses  were  restored  and  membership  rap- 
idly increased.  Again  there  was  a  slight  decrease  in  1873  to  1874, 
also  from  1878  to  1884,  then  a  constant  increase  for  twelve  years 
until  1898.  From  1898  to  1905,  with  the  exception  of  the  year 
1900,  there  was  a  constant  and  steady  decrease. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1898,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Twentieth  Century  movement,  our  Bishops  issued  an  official  call 
upon  the  church  to  signalize  that  event  by  contributing  to  church 
purposes  twenty  millions  of  dollars  and  the  securing  of  the  con- 
version of  two  millions  of  souls.  The  twenty  millions  of  dollars 
were  secured,  but  the  two  millions  of  souls  were  not  received.  It 
may  be  doul^ted  whether  two  great  campaigns,  one  for  money  and 
the  other  for  the  conversion  of  men  can  be  carried  forward  success- 
fully at  the  same  time. 

We  are  glad  to  record  that  in  1905  the  tide  turned,  and  the 
churches  are  heeding  the  trumpet  call  to  evangelism.  They  are 
coming  with  keener  and  clearer  vision  and  stronger  conviction 
than  before  to  understand  the  Divine  call  to  evangelize  the  world 
at  the  earliest  possible  date.  The  pulpit  and  religious  press, 
Sunday  Schools  and  Epworth  Leagues,  are  all  with  one  heart  and 
aim  seeking  by  prayer  and  faith  the  induement  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  of  power.  Already  extensive  awakenings  and  revivals  have 
appeared,  and  with  the  blessing  of  God  a  large  ingathering  of 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


231 


souls  is  fully  expected.  We  are  greatly  encouraged  by  the  fact 
that  sister  churches  are  vieing  with  us  in  the  great  movement 
for  evangelization  of  the  world. 


WhUe  we  accord  a  due  meed  of  praise  to  the  ministry,  we 
should  not  forget  our  noble  laity.  Their  hospitality  has  been 
generous  and  beautiful.  Their  cabin  homes  were  to  the  weary 
itinerant  what  the  home  of  Lazarus  in  Bethany  w^as  to  the 
Master.  And  in  these  humble  homes  there  were  hundreds  of 
Marys  and  Marthas,  who  both  sat  at  the  feet  of  Christ  and  served 
his  ministers.  Their  history  is  unrecorded  on  earth,  but  their 
names  are  written  in  the  Book  of  Life.  These  laymen  ha\ang 
sought  a  frontier  state,  most  of  them  with  extreme  limited  means, 
had  to  open  and  improve  farms,  buUd  houses  and  towns, 
pay  heavy  subsidies  to  buUd  railroads  to  convey  their  produce  to 
market,  and  pay  taxes  for  all  public  improvements.  Yet  with  aU 
these  disadvantages  they  gave  voluntarily  and  liberally  to 
buUd  churches  and  parsonages,  erect  and  endow  colleges,  support 
the  ministry  and  send  the  Gospel  to  other  lands. 

Let  me  remind  you  that  the  average  aggregate  membership 
of  the  churches  in  this  Conference  during  fifty  years  has  been  less 
than  twenty-four  thousand. 

The  aggregate  amount  given  during  fifty  yeai-s  by  these 
churches  of  our  Conference  is  as  follows: 

1.  For  Ministerial  Support  (including  Bish- 


2.  For  Building  Churches  and  Parsonages .  . .  3,345,468 


CHUHCH  BENEVOLENCES. 


hops,  Presiding  Elders,  Pastors,  and  Su- 
perannuates),   


S  6,119,492 


3.  For  Official  Benevolences 


1,222,576 


Total  $10,687,536 

Remember  this  includes  only  what  was  reported  in  the  Con- 


232 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


ference  minutes.  Gifts  made  through  private  and  unofficial  chan- 
nels, and  for  the  building  and  endowment  of  schools  would  greatly 
increase  the  amount  above  recorded.  Truly  among  our  laity  have 
been  many  men  and  women  of  deep  spirituality,  large  liberality 
and  self-sacrificing  devotion. 

CHURCH  EXTENSION. 

"Great  movements  are  born  out  of  great  emergencies." 
"Necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention." 

This  is  shown  in  the  origin  of  the  Church  Extension  Society. 
It  was  during  the  civil  war,  when  financial  interests  were  prostrated 
and  financial  enterprises  were  bankrupted.  At  one  session  of  the 
Conference,  it  appeared  from  official  reports  that  twelve  churches 
in  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  were  hopelessly  in  debt,  members 
scattered  and  discouraged,  mortgages  past  due  would  soon  be  fore- 
closed and  the  churches  lost  to  Methodism.  In  this  emergency  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  Church  Extension  Society  was  organized, 
and  Alpha  J.  Kynett  taken  from  the  Presiding  Eldership  and  ap- 
pointed Corresponding  Secretary  and  General  Agent,  with  instruc- 
tions to  save  these  churches  if  possible.  With  characteristic  zeal 
and  skill  he  visited,  inspired  and  directed  each  of  these  churches 
to  make  another  heroic  effort  to  remove  the  debt.  In  a  few  cases 
he  secured  a  little  help  from  outside  sources. 

At  the  following  session  of  the  Conference,  Dr.  Kynett  re- 
ported "That  during  the  past  year  by  the  favor  of  God  and  liber- 
ality of  our  people,  all  the  old  debts  have  been  removed."  He  added, 
"But  for  our  timely  organization,  and  the  earnest  efforts  of  all 
concerned,  that  which  was  a  year  ago  an  impending  danger  would 
have  been  to-day  actual  calamity." 

But  this  was  not  all.  Dr.  Kynett  took  a  wider  vision  of  the 
needs  of  the  church  in  Iowa  and  the  middle  west.  He  saw  that 
evangelism  was  not  the  sole  need  of  the  new  communities  that 
were  springing  up  like  magic,  for  the  new  comers  were  already 


1.  A.  T.  Foster  5.  D.  C.  Dutton  'i.  T.  H.  Sheckler  13.  G.  B.  Shoemaker 

2.  A.  M.  BilUngslev  6.  J.G.  Van  Ness  10.  Adam  Holm  14.  B.  D.  Alden 

3.  J.E.Johnson  7.  E.G.Hunt  11.  C.  A.  Parkm  15.  J  H.  Keppel 

4.  Wm.  Young  8.  A.  D.  Stevens  12.  A.  W.  Smith  16.  F.  J.  Zavodsky 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


nominally  Christian  and  many  of  them  genuinely  so.  For  them 
the  erection  of  a  visible  and  suitable  house  of  worship  was  the 
chief  need  in  order  to  permanently  establish  Christianity  in  this 
new  land. 

Accordingly  he  evolved  the  plan  for  a  chiirch-wide  move- 
ment for  church  extension,  and  secured  the  adoption  of  his  plan 
and  measure  by  the  General  Conference  of  1864.  On  July  1, 
1867,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Monroe,  Dr.  Kynett  was  selected  by  the 
Board  of  Bishops  as  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Church  Extension,  with  headquarters  at  Philadelphia.  He  was 
elected  and  re-elected  by  eight  successive  General  Conferences 
and  so  for  thirty-three  years  and  until  his  death,  he  stood  at  the 
helm  and  guided  that  great  interest  of  the  church.  Six  and  one- 
half  millions  of  dollars  were  collected  and  disbursed  under  his  ad- 
ministration and  over  twelve  thousand  churches  received  aid  there- 
from. 

It  is  therefore  a  matter  of  history  that  the  great  Church  Ex- 
tension movement  in  Methodism  had  its  origin  in  the  Upper  Iowa 
Conference  and  that  this  Conference  gave  to  the  church  its  founder 
and  builder. 

"our  boys." 

It  Ls  a  great  thing  to  grow  men,  not  only  for  our  own  pulpits, 
but  for  the  pulpits  of  the  church.  As  a  mother  rejoices  over  the 
successes  of  her  children,  so  the  Conference  rejoices  and  praises  God 
for  the  work  and  success  of  her  sons  wherever  they  may  be  called 
to  labor.  We  wish  here,  for  the  benefit  especially  of  the  younger 
brethren,  to  recall  the  names  of  men  received  on  trial  in  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference,  who  were  therefore  "our  boys,"  who  did  their 
first  work,  received  their  first  training  and  inspiration  from  this 
Conference,  and  then  went  out  to  important  places  in  other  con- 
ferences.   It  is  believed  that  few,  if  any,  other  conferences  in  the 


234 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


middle  west,  have  raised  up  and  sent  forth  a  larger  number  of 
men  who  have  filled  prominent  places  in  the  church. 
We  will  mention  some  of  the  men : 

Amos  B.  Kendig  was  received  on  trial  in  1852  and  was  there- 
fore an  original  member  of  the  Conference.  He  served  with  us  for 
twenty-three  years,  and  was  stationed  at  Cedar  Falls,  Marshall- 
town,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa  City,  Davenport  and  Dubuque.  In  1875 
he  was  transferred  to  the  New  England  Conference  and  stationed 
at  Bromfield  Street,  Boston.  For  five  years  he  was  pastor  of 
Hanson  Place  Church,  Brooklyn,  then  the  largest  church  numeric- 
ally in  American  Methodism. 

George  Clifford,  also  an  original  member  of  the  Conference, 
was  pastor  and  presiding  elder  ten  years,  then  transferred  to  Cal- 
ifornia and  served  some  of  the  best  churches  in  San  Francisco  and 
one  term  as  presiding  elder  of  San  Francisco  District. 

Charles  G.  Truesdell,  received  on  trial  in  1858,  was  pastor, 
chaplain  in  the  army  and  presiding  elder  until  1869,  when  he  trans- 
ferred to  the  Rock  River  Conference,  became  presiding  elder  of 
Chicago  District,  and  for  many  years  was  superintendent  of  the 
Chicago  Relief  Fund,  and  in  that  position  distributed  millions  of 
dollars  to  the  sufferers  in  the  great  Chicago  fire. 

William  Fawcett,  received  on  trial  in  1861,  for  twenty  years 
served  as  pastor  in  some  of  our  best  pulpits,  then  transferred  to  the 
Rock  River  Conference  and  was  stationed  in  First  Church,  Chicago, 
and  afterwards  served  other  leading  churches  in  that  city. 

David  H.  Wheeler,  received  on  trial  in  1856,  served  as  pro- 
fessor in  Cornell  College  for  several  years,  then  became  successively 
consul  at  Genoa,  Italy,  professor  in  the  Northwestern  University, 
editor  of  the  New  York  Methodist,  president  of  Allegheny  CoUege 
at  Meadville,  Pa.,  and  filled  all  these  positions  with  marked  ability 
and  success. 

Emerson  K.  Young,  received  on  trial  in  1863,  rose  rapidly  to 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


best  positions  in  the  Conference,  served  five  years  in  First  Cliurch, 
Des  Moines,  Akron,  Ohio,  Grace  Church,  Philadelpliia,  and  died 
while  pastor  at  New  Britian,  Conn.,  one  of  the  leading  churches  in 
the  New  York  East  Conference. 

A.  H.  Ames,  received  on  trial  in  1859,  after  serving  Lansing, 
Lyons  and  Dubuque,  was  transferred  to  the  Des  ^loines  Conference 
and  stationed  at  First  Church,  Des  Moines,  then  in  1892,  was  trans- 
ferred to  Baltimore  Conference  and  stationed  in  Washington,  D. 
C.  For  many  years  he  was  Superintendent  of  the  Deaconess 
Home  and  Training  School  in  the  City  of  Washington. 

George  Elliott,  received  on  trial  in  1874,  after  ten  years  of 
excellent  service,  was  transferred  to  the  Baltimore  Conference, 
served  Foundry  Church,  Washington,  Spring  Garden,  Philadel- 
phia, and  is  now  pastor  of  First  Church,  Detroit. 

Sylvanus  B.  Warner,  received  on  trial  in  1874,  transferred  to 
Minnesota  in  1881,  became  presiding  Elder  of  the  Minneapolis 
District,  afterwards  transferred  to  Missouri  and  became  presiding 
elder  of  St.  Louis  District. 

R.  F.  Hurlburt,  received  on  trial  in  1882,  after  fourteen  years 
of  excellent  service,  transferred  to  Iowa  Conference,  served  First 
Church  in  Burlington  eight  years  and  is  now  pastor  of  Delaware 
Avenue  Church  in  Buffalo,  New  York. 

Horace  E.  Warner,  received  on  trial  in  1878,  transferred  to 
Colorado  in  1891,  was  pastor  of  one  of  the  best  churches  in  Denver 
and  is  now  presiding  elder  of  Denver  District. 

Besides  these  I  will  mention  H.  W.  Bennett,  presiding  elder 
in  the  North  Indiana  Conference;  Robert  Bagnell,  pastor  of 
Metropolitan  Temple,  New  York  City;  W.  S.  Lewis,  president  of 
Morning  Side  College,  Sioux  City;  H.  C.  Stunt z,  superintendent  of 
Missions  in  the  Philippine  Islands. 

These  and  others  that  might  be  named  are  a  part  of  the  con- 
tribution this  Conference  has  made  to  the  general  work  of  the 
church. 


236 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

The  policy  of  the  Conference  in  regard  to  higher  education 
may  now  be  considered  in  the  light  of  a  half  century's  history. 
It  should  be  recorded  that  this  educational  policy  was  not  the  re- 
sult of  forecast  or  plan;  but  like  nearly  all  the  provisions  of 
Methodism  was  the  result  of  providential  needs  and  an  attempt 
to  supply  them.  The  policy  is  a  growth  rather  than  a  carefully 
devised  plan. 

Cornell  College  was  projected  in  1852,  opened  as  a  Seminary 
in  1853,  re-incorporated  as  Cornell  College  in  1855,  and  adopted 
by  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  as  the  Conference  College  in  1856. 

Upper  Iowa  University  was  projected  as  a  Seminary  in  1855; 
school  opened  in  1857,  was  re-incorporated  and  accepted  by  the 
Conference  as  the  Upper  Iowa  University  in  1858. 

Ep worth  Seminary  was  founded  in  1857  and  recognized  by 
the  Conference  the  same  year. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  at  this  time  the  policy  of  the 
state  to  establish  and  maintain  universities  had  not  appeared;  that 
even  high  schools  were  not  a  feature  of  public  education;  and 
many  believed  that  the  state  should  and  would  limit  its  educa- 
tional work  to  the  common  or  district  schools.  They  believed 
also  that  higher  education  in  the  western  states,  as  had  been  in 
the  eastern  states,  should  forever  be  under  private  and  denom- 
inational control.  They  also  believed  that  such  institutions 
would  be  easily  self-supporting  after  buildings  and  grounds  were 
once  secured.  The  need  of  great  libraries,  costly  and  extensive 
apparatus  and  museums,  and  vast  endowments,  were  not  then 
foreseen.  In  these  conditions  and  without  any  supervision  of  the 
higher  authorities  of  the  church,  our  three  conference  institutions 
were  locally  founded  and  then  adopted  by  the  Conference. 

A  few  years  later  the  General  Conference  advised  that  not 
less  than  four  conferences  should  unite  in  the  support  of  a  college 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


and  that  the  church  should  not  multiply  schools  beyond  the  wants 
of  the  people  and  their  ability  to  sustain  them. 

Another  fact  should  be  stated  and  that  Ls,  that  the  Upper 
Iowa  Conference  is  almost  the  only  conference  in  world-wide  Meth- 
odism that  has  endeavored  to  build  and  maintain  more  than  a  single 
college.  It  should  be  stated  also,  that  in  addition  to  the  three 
Conference  institutions,  our  German  brethren  have  established  a 
German  Methodist  College  at  Charles  City,  a  flourishing  city  with- 
in our  Conference. 

Besides  these  within  our  Conference,  we  have  in  Iowa  the 
Iowa  Wesleyan  University  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Simpson  College 
at  Indianola,  and  Morning  Side  College  at  Sioux  City. 

Such  then  has  been  and  is  the  situation. 

A  few  months  ago  a  member  of  the  North  Indiana  Conference 
called  upon  me  and  in  our  conversation  he  said:  "We  in  Indiana 
are  endeavoring  to  concentrate  all  our  educational  forces  upon 
DePauw  University  and  make  that  the  college  for  Indiana  and  pro- 
vide that  the  other  schools  be  of  lower  grade  and  tributary  thereto. 
Have  you  not  made  a  mistake  in  Iowa  in  attempting  to  build  and 
maintain  so  many  colleges?  Would  it  not  be  wise  even  now  to 
re-organize  your  educational  work  and  arrange  for  one  strong  cen- 
tral college  for  the  state,  and  make  all  the  others  of  lower  grade 
and  feeders  of  the  one  central  college?" 

In  reply,  I  turned  to  the  Methodist  Year  Book  and  gave  him 
statistics,  comparing  Indiana  with  Iowa.  They  are  both  known 
as  great  Methodist  states.  They  lead  all  the  states  in  the  propor- 
tion of  Methodist  church  membership  to  the  entire  population 
of  the  state. 

Total  number  of  church  members  in  Indiana  is  201,203 
Total  value  of   her  Methodist  educational 

buildings,  grounds  and  endowments . .  .  S750,000 


238 


UPPER    IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Total  number  of  students  in  her  Methodist 

schools   962 

In  Iowa,  total  number  of  church  members  is  152,214 

Total  value  of  her  Methodist  educational 

buildings,  grounds  and  endowments ....  $1,760,000 

Total  number  of  students  in  her  schools   3,405 

It  will  be  seen  that  with  50,000  less  of  church  membership, 
Iowa  Methodism  has  nearly  two  and  one-half  times  value  in  school 
property  and  endowments,  and  nearly  four  times  as  many  college 
students  as  has  the  state  of  Indiana. 

Let  us  now  compare  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference,  which 
covers  the  northeast  one-fourth  of  the  state,  with  the  whole 
state  of  Indiana. 

In  Upper  Iowa  Conference  we  have,  according  to  the  Year 
Book,  36,714  church  members;  the  total  value  of  our  educational 
buildings,  grounds  and  endowments  is  $1,117,000.  Total  number 
of  students  in  our  schools  is  1,635. 

It  will  be  seen  that  we  have  in  Upper  Iowa  Conference  a 
little  more  than  one-sixth  of  the  church  membership  of  Indiana, 
and  that  we  have  over  fifty  per  cent  more  of  school  property  and 
endowments,  and  seventy  per  cent  more  students  in  college  than 
in  all  the  Methodist  colleges  of  that  great  state. 

May  it  not  be  truthfully  affirmed  that  Upper  Iowa  Confer- 
ence has  done  and  is  doing  more  for  the  Christian  education  of  her 
people  than  any  other  conference  in  world-wide  Methodism? 

Allow  me  a  few  words  in  regard  to  public  or  state  schools. 
By  some,  these  are  declared  to  be  Godless,  and  by  many  they  are 
believed  to  be  at  least  non-Christian.  What  are  the  facts?  After 
a  careful  estimate  by  those  best  informed,  it  appears  that  at  least 
four-fifths  of  the  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  all  grades 
from  the  elementary  schools  up  to  and  including  the  State  Normal 
School,  the  State  College  at  Ames  and  the  State  University  at 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


Iowa  City,  are  members  of  Christian  churches,  and  the  remaining 
one-fifth  with  a  very  few  exceptions  are  adherents  of  the  church. 
Besides,  the  text  books  used  contain  practically  only  Christian 
truths.  Not  a  line  of  infidel  or  anti-Christian  sentiment  can  be 
found  in  any  text  book  of  any  public  educational  institution. 
Thus,  for  thirty  hours  each  school  week,  the  children  and  youth  of 
our  state  peruse  text  books  full  of  Christian  thought  and  sentiment 
and  are  under  the  personal  supervision  and  training  almost  ex- 
clusively of  Christian  teachers.  Does  it  not  follow  that  there  is 
potentially  more  moral  and  Christian  influence  and  power  in  pub- 
lic schools  than  in  all  the  Sunday  Schools  where  children  are 
taught  only  one  hour  in  each  week? 

A  few  years  ago  a  superintendent  of  one  of  our  city  schools  in- 
stituted an  inquiry  to  ascertain  what  per  cent  of  his  pupils  came 
from  Christian  homes.  Said  he,  "I  called  that  a  Christian  home 
where  one  parent  was  a  member  of  a  Christian  church.  I  first 
ascertained  that  on  this  basis  about  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the 
families  in  the  city  were  Christian  families.  A  careful  examination 
revealed  the  fact  that  twenty-five  per  cent  of  pupils  in  the  primary 
grade,  fifty  per  cent  of  grammar  grade  pupils,  and  one  hundred 
per  cent  of  high  school  pupils  came  from  Christian  homes."  He 
added,  "I  had  one  hundred  and  ninety  pupils  in  my  high  school." 

On  receiving  this  report  from  the  above  superintendent, 
I  instituted  a  similar  inquiry  in  other  schools,  and  while  I  did  not 
find  so  large  a  per  cent  of  increase  in  the  higher  grades,  I  did  find 
it  to  be  a  truth  in  every  school  examined  that  the  higher  the  grade 
of  school  the  larger  the  per  cent  of  pupils  that  came  from  Chris- 
tian families. 

This  truth  is  confirmed  by  the  report  of  the  National  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  which  is,  "That  fifty-two  per  cent 
of  students  enrolled  in  all  American  colleges  are  members  of  Chris- 
tian churches."  It  appears  also  that  from  seventy-five  to  ninety 


240  UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 

per  cent  of  college  students  are  of  Christian  parentage;  while  the 
census  tells  us  only  about  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  population 
of  the  United  States  are  members  of  Christian  churches. 

It  follows  therefore  that  the  educational  forces  of  the  state 
and  nation  are  almost  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  Christian  teachers 
and  the  benefits  of  public  education  flow  chiefly  into  the  lives  of 
Christian  families. 

It  also  follows  that  future  writers,  editors,  legislators,  jurists, 
governors,  presidents,  future  leaders  of  thought  in  every  depart- 
ment of  human  inquiry  and  activity,  will  come  chiefly  from  Chris- 
tian families  and  receive  training  from  Christian  teachers. 

State  schools  of  all  grades  in  the  United  States  are  not  "God- 
less," but  should  be  considered  rather  as  the  aflies  of  the  church 
in  moral  and  Christian  education.  In  this  every  Christian  and 
patriot  must  rejoice. 

Do  you  ask  for  an  explanation  of  these  remarkable  truths? 
I  answer,  they  are  the  direct  result  of  Christian  instruction.  Fam- 
ilies allied  to  the  Church  and  under  the  teaching  of  the  pulpit  ob- 
tain a  larger  view  of  life,  a  deeper  conception  of  its  meaning  and 
worth,  and  are  inspired  to  seek  through  the  schools  the  highest  and 
best  that  this  life  afTords;  while  those  families  entirely  outside 
of  church  influence  and  Bible  instruction  are  usually  satisfied  to 
live  the  animal  life  and  seek  not  higher  things. 

CHANGES  AND  NEEDS. 

Many  have  been  the  changes  in  the  Conference  during  its 
history,  changes  in  its  environment,  changes  in  its  difficulties  and 
work,  and  changes  in  its  methods  and  spirit. 

Notice,  if  you  please,  the  changes  in  the  work  and  duties  of 
the  presiding  eldership.  When  population  was  widely  scattered, 
circuits  large  and  travel  was  only  by  private  conveyance,  twelve 
circuits  composed  a  district.  The  presiding  elder  each  year  at- 
tended four  quarterly  meetings  on  each  circuit,  and  gave  his  full 


1.  John  E.  Baker         4.    H.       Trov  7.    J.  R.  Caffyn  10.    F.  P.  Cassidv 

2.  S.  D.  Bartle  5.    G.  R.  Manning        8.    M.  W.  S.  Perry  11.    F.  0  Brown 

3.  H.  H.  Green  6.    W.  R.  Dyre  9.    J.  H.  Hayward  12.    J.  W.  Kynett 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


241 


time  Saturday  and  Sunday  to  each  meeting.  It  usually  began  at 
2:30  p.  m.  on  Saturday  with  preaching  by  the  presiding  elder  and 
was  followed  by  the  quarterly  conference.  Then  came  preaching 
"at  early  candle  light"  Saturday  evening.  Love  feast  at  9 
o'clock  on  Sunday  morning  was  asually  a  time  of  spiritual  inter- 
est and  power.  At  10:30  there  was  preaching  by  the  presiding 
elder.  At  this  service  there  was  a  great  crowd  from  far  and  near 
of  eager  listeners,  great  spiritual  fervor  in  the  congregation,  great 
expectancy  by  the  people,  and  the  presiding  elder  was  inspired  to 
do  his  best.  He  was  not  limited  to  thirt)'  minutes  but  could 
preach  an  hour  or  an  hour  and  a  half  without  wearying  the  people. 
Then  followed  the  holy  sacrament.  In  the  evening  there  was  an 
earnest,  evangelistic"  sermon,  followed  by  a  soul-stirring  exhorta- 
tion and  a  call  for  seekers  to  come  to  the  altar.  A  quarterly 
meeting  without  conversions  was  not  regarded  as  successful. 

Such  a  quarterly  meeting  was  practicall)'  a  two  days'  revival 
meeting  conducted  by  the  presiding  elder  and  pastor,  aided  by 
the  class  leaders,  local  preachers  and  exhort ers  from  all  parts  of 
the  circuit.  And  this  was  repeated  every  week  in  the  year  by 
the  presiding  elder,  and  four  times  each  yeav  on  each  circuit. 
The  presiding  elder  was  a  potent,  evangelistic  factor  on  every  circuit 
within  his  district.  Besides  to  the  presiding  elder,  every  Sunday 
morning  was  a  season  of  special  interest  in  the  community;  the 
"amens"  were  numerous  and  hearty,  the  singing  was  soul-stirring 
and  uplifting,  and  the  spiritual  enthusiasm  was  intense.  It  was 
easy  to  preach,  and  out  of  these  conditions  great  preachers  were 
developed. 

To-day  a  district  embraces  thirty  six  to  forty  charges  and  the 
presiding  elder  is  compelled  to  hold  three  quarterly  meetings  each 
week.  The  quarterly  meeting  is  less  evangelistic  and  more  of  a 
business  meeting.  Administrative  duties  demand  the  time  and 
strength  of  the  presiding  elder.    He  is  expected  to  take  the  in- 


242 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


itiative  and  give  direction  to  all  new  forward  movements,  and 
to  counsel  and  advise  regarding  everything  pertaining  to  the 
churches'  welfare  in  his  district.  The  work  of  a  presiding  elder 
was  never  more  important  than  it  is  to-day,  but  it  is  a  different 
work  from  that  of  former  years — it  is  more  administrative  and 
less  evangelistic ;  indeed  his  evangelistic  influence  is  scarcely  recog- 
nized in  many  of  the  charges. 

Among  other  changes  we  note  that  the  poor  have  become  rich, 
the  vast  open  prairies  have  become  thickly  populated,  railroads 
have  been  built,  towns  and  cities  have  grown  up;  and  we  no  longer 
worship  in  cabins  and  school  houses,  but  in  fine  churches  with 
cushioned  pews  and  sweet  toned  organs.  The  hardships  and  sac- 
rifices of  the  early  ministry  are  no  longer  required.  As  a  result  of 
temporal  prosperity  and  social  elevation,  the  connectional  spirit 
seems  less  intense,  and  selfish  individualism  is  more  manifest. 
This  is  apparent  both  in  churches  and  ministry. 

In  the  early  days,  transfers  into  and  out  of  the  Conference  were 
not  so  easily  made,  nor  so  common  as  now.  Young  men  joined  the 
Conference  expecting  to  do  their  life-work  within  the  Conference. 
Conference  lines  were  more  rigidly  drawn,  conference  ties  were 
stronger  and  conference  fellowship  was  sweeter.  It  was  the  fel- 
lowship of  the  pioneer,  a  fellowship  of  common  sacrifices,  common 
privations,  common  hardships,  common  sympathies,  and  a  com- 
mon love;  and  it  was  the  only  fraternal  association  they  enjoyed. 
Preachers  were  not  graded  by  their  salaries.  There  was  no  dis- 
tinction between  the  city  preacher  and  the  circuit  rider.  As 
among  soldiers,  he  is  the  most  honored  who  is  the  most  brave  and 
daring,  most  willing  to  risk  life  to  take  a  battery  or  support  the 
flag;  so  in  the  early  Conference,  he  was  most  in  love  and  honor 
among  his  brethren  who  traveled  the  hardest  circuit  on  the  poorest 
salary. 

Young  preachers  coming  as  they  did,  from  farm  and  store 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


243 


and  shop,  were  of  the  common  people  among  whom  they  labored ; 
they  were  in  closest  touch  and  sympathy  with  their  lives  and  felt 
it  to  be  a  great  privilege  and  honor  to  be  received  into  the  so-called 
"traveling  connection."  They  looked  up  with  profound  respect 
and  veneration  to  the  older  ministers.  They  did  not  seek  to  sac- 
rifice themselves  for  the  Master  by  demanding  at  once  the  leading 
pulpits  of  the  Conference,  nor  did  they  peer  over  conference  lines 
to  see  if  they  could  not  find  in  the  regions  beyond  a  pulpit  afford- 
ing a  larger  salary  and  therefore  more  suited  to  their  talents.  But 
they  regarded  any  place,  however  lowly,  among  such  godly  men 
as  good  enough  for  them,  and  they  went  to  the  work  assigned 
intent  only  on  preaching  Christ  and  saving  souls.  Nor  did  they 
try  to  fill  both  the  lecture  field  and  the  pulpit.  The  most  humble 
pulpit  afforded  ample  field  and  opportunity  for  their  God-given 
powers.  The  preacher  found  no  time  for  vacation.  To  him  there 
were  not  Sabbaths  enought  to  meet  the  demands. 

The  doctrines  emphasized  in  the  early  day  preaching  were: 
the  universal  sinfulness  of  man,  salvation  by  repentance  and 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  new  birth,  adoption  as  children  of  God, 
the  witness  of  the  spirit  and  the  experience  of  perfect  love.  A 
knowable  salvation  from  sin  through  Christ  was  openly  professed 
and  proclaimed  by  Methodists  everywhere.  The  class  meeting  and 
love  feast  were  deemed  vital  and  were  the  training  schools  of 
the  Church.  The  Church  was  intensely  aggressive  in  spirit  and  mis- 
sionary zeal,  but  its  field  of  activity  was  at  home  and  its  hands 
and  heart  were  filled  with  the  work  of  establishing  Methodism  in 
every  unoccupied  community. 

As  the  Church  has  grown  in  numbers,  wealth  and  culture, 
it  has  increased  its  organizations  and  its  activities,  and  changed 
its  methods  to  meet  the  changed  conditions  of  the  people.  It  has 
become  more  liberal  in  spirit  towards  sister  churches,  it  is  far  more 
humanitarian  in  its  plan  and  work,  it  is  grounded  on  a  more  pro- 


244 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


found  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Bible  as  the  word  of  God,  it 
has  a  deeper  and  more  comprehensive  conception  of  the  person  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  His  mission  to  a  lost  world.  While  the  creed 
of  the  church  is  unchanged,  emphasis  is  laid  on  different  doctrines, 
such  as  the  fatherhood  of  God,  the  brotherhood  in  Christ  of  all 
men,  more  on  the  love  and  less  on  the  wrath  of  God,  more  on  points 
of  agreement  with  other  churches  and  less  on  points  of  difference. 
Preaching  is  less  polemic  and  doctrinal,  the  Sabbath  is  differently 
observed,  and  as  organized  labor  seems  to  compel  Sabbath  dese- 
cration, it  must  be  said  the  Sabbath  is  less  observed.  The  dis- 
cipline of  the  church,  like  that  of  the  family,  is  relaxed  and  its  ob- 
servance is  less  regarded.  External  life  consumes  our  energies, 
and  so  there  is  loss  in  the  family  life,  the  church  life  and  the  personal 
life  of  believers.  There  seems  to  be  little  time  for  daily  reading  of 
the  Bible,  little  time  for  private  and  family  prayer,  little  time  to 
develop  the  spiritual  life  of  the  soul,  very  little  time  to  be  holy. 

What  we  need  is  a  vision  as  was  given  to  the  old  prophets 
and  apostles.  Abram  had  a  vision  and  the  Lord  commanded  him 
to  go  out  of  his  country  into  a  strange  land,  saying,  "I  will  bless 
thee  and  make  thy  name  great  and  in  thee  shall  all  the  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed."  And  Abram  obeyed  and  "went  out  not 
knowing  whither  he  went." 

Moses  had  a  vision  and  saw  "the  burning  bush  that  was 
not  consumed,"  and  heard  the  voice  of  God  commanding  him  to 
lead  His  people  out  of  Egypt.    And  he  obeyed. 

Isaiah  had  a  vision  and  "saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  his  throne, 
high  and  lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled  the  temple.  And  one  of  the 
seraphim  with  a  live  coal  from  off  the  altar,  touched  the  prophet's 
lips  and  said:  "Lo,  thine  iniquity  is  taken  away  and  thy  sin  purged." 
And  the  Lord  said,  "Whom  shall  I  send  and  who  will  go  for  us?" 
And  Isaiah  cried,  "Here  am  I,  send  me!" 

Peter,  James  and  John  had  a  vision  on  the  mount  of  trans- 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


245 


figuration  and  saw  Jesus  in  his  glory,  "the  glory  as  of  the  only 
begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth;"  and  heard  a 
voice  saying,  "this  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased, 
hear  ye  him."  "And  when  the  cloud  was  passed,  they  saw  no 
man  save  Jesus  only." 

Saul  of  Tarsus  had  a  vision  on  his  way  to  Damascus  and  saw 
a  light  from  heaven  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  and  heard  a 
voice  saying,  "I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest."  And  Saul 
cried  out,  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?" 

The  apostle  John,  on  the  isle  of  Patmos  had  a  vision,  and  saw 
"one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man,  standing  in  the  midst  of  the  golden 
candlesticks,  and  his  countenance  was  as  the  sun  shining  in  his 
strength  and  he  said,  '  Fear  not,  I  am  He  that  was  dead  and  behold 
I  am  alive  forevermore,  Amen;  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of 
death.'"  John  looked  again  and  saw  the  great  white  robed  throng 
who  had  gone  up  out  of  great  tribulation  and  had  washed  their 
robes  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

These  visions  made  known  to  God's  ancient  servants  that 
the  world  of  spirits  is  real,  that  heaven  is  real,  hell  is  real,  God  is 
real  and  sits  on  His  throne,  Jesus  Christ  is  real  and  walks  among 
the  churches,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  real  as  on  the  day  of  pentecost, 
and  ready  to  endue  His  ministers  with  cloven  tongues  of  fire. 
And  these  visions  of  spiritual  realities  inspired  in  them  a  mighty 
faith  and  consuming  zeal  and  transformed  prophets  and  apostles 
from  common  men  into  conquering  heroes ! 

Great  God,  give  us  to-day,  a  vision  of  spiritual  and  eternal 
realities !  Then  would  our  souls  be  quickened  and  inflamed  with 
a  clear  sense  of  God's  infinite  love,  man's  awful  guilt,  the  eternal 
peril  of  sin  and  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ  to  save  the  most  wicked 
with  an  uttermost  salvation.  Then  would  we  realize  the  stu- 
pendous responsibilities  laid  upon  us,  and  be  fired  with  such  a  burn- 
ing zeal  and  consuming  passion  for  lost  men,  that  we  would  gladly 


246 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


respond  with  our  best  powers  and  fullest  devotion  to  the  Lord's 
command,  "Go  preach  my  gospel  to  every  creature." 

And  now,  brethren,  a  word  as  to  myself.  For  fifty  years  I 
have  been  a  member  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference  and  have  at- 
tended every  session  save  one.  Five  times  the  opportunity  came 
to  me  to  accept  of  educational  positions  and  pastorates  in  other 
conferences,  but  I  chose  to  remain.  I  joined  a  good  Conference 
in  a  good  state  and  I  have  stayed.  I  chose  to  be  a  star  in  a  bright 
constellation  rather  than  to  be  a  wandering  star  among  the  con- 
stellations. Of  the  original  Conference  organized  in  this  city 
fifty  years  ago  I  alone  remain  in  the  effective  ranks.  Seven  others 
are  on  the  superannuate  list,  viz. :  J.  R.  Cameron,  J.  F.  Hestwood, 
John  Montgomery,  J.  M.  Rankin,  J.  Riddlington,  C.  M.  Sessions 
and  Elias  Skinner.  These  with  Dr.  A.  B.  Kendig,  now  of  the  New 
England  Conference,  are  all  that  remain.  We  are  now  in  the  even- 
ing time  of  life,  the  sun  is  declining  and  shadows  are  lengthening. 
But  we  can  and  do  testify  to  the  truth  of  the  promise,  that  "at 
evening  time  it  shall  be  light."  The  gorgeous  sunset  is  before  us, 
and  beyond  that  are  the  sunrise,  the  coronation  and  the  everlast- 
ing day.  And  so  in  humble  faith  and  joyful  hope,  we  await 
our  crowns! 

God  bless  the  Upper  Iowa  Conference. 

A  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  PIONEER  PREACHER 
by 

Thomas  E.  Fleming,  D.  D. 

We  are  the  heirs  of  all  the  centuries.  Well  might  Emerson 
say,  "Every  ship  that  comes  to  America  got  its  chart  from  Colum- 
bus. Every  carpenter  who  shaves  with  a  fore-plane  borrows  the 
genius  of  a  forgotten  inventor.  Life  is  girt  around  with  a  zodiac 
of  sciences,  the  contributions  of  men  who  have  perished  to  add 
their  point  of  light  to  our  skies. " 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


247 


Everywhere  this  is  in  evidence.  The  race  is  forever  debtor 
to  the  pioneer.  Not  merely  by  felling  forests,  breaking  the 
prairie's  sod,  and  making  the  wilderness  and  solitary  place  to 
blossom  like  the  rose,  do  pioneers  place  obligation  upon  succeed- 
ing generations.  Pioneers  in  philosophy,  sociology,  and  theology 
have  had  to  blaze  the  w^ay,  through  densest  ignorance,  and  stiffest 
opposition  to  the  goodly  land  we  hold  to-day. 

When  old  England  was  chilled  to  the  spiritual  marrow  by  the 
lifeless,  sceptical  utterances  of  its  ministers,  and  further  frozen  by 
the  formalism  of  churchly  services,  four  young  university  stu- 
dents pioneered  the  way  to  methods  of  holier  living,  earning  for 
themselves  the  contemptuous  nickname,  Methodists.  Later, 
like  true  pioneers,  they  preached  anywhere,  everywhere  that 
opportunity  offered.  If  no  church  presented  a  friendly  pulpit, 
a  tombstone  in  the  church  yard  sufficed  as  a  platform  from  which 
to  preach  Christ. 

When  New  England  was  chilled  by  a  theology  that  made  the 
heavens  contain  a  fiend,  rather  than  a  friend, — one  who  saved 
men,  and  damned  men,  out  of  his  mere  good  pleasure,  and  when 
this  chill  was  reaching  the  freezing  point  of  Unitarianism,  again 
Methodism  pioneered  the  way  to  a  religion  of  warmth  and  a 
Christ  who  is  human-sweet. 

In  this  western  world,  opened  for  settlement  bit  by  bit,  the 
government  surveyor  could  not  go  far  enough,  or  fast  enough, 
to  outstrip  the  circuit-rider.  The  clank  of  the  measuring  chain 
beat  time  to  the  song  of  the  preacher.  In  the  rush  westward  the 
"sooners"  found  the  itinerant  as  soon  as  the  soonest.  In  the 
process  of  making  new  homes  in  a  new  country,  men  and  women 
could  not  be  permitted  to  forget  the  abiding  home  in  the  country 
beyond  the  great  Divide.  Without  the  meeting-hovise  and  the 
preacher,  gravitation  would  be  earth-ward.    Hence  came  the 


248 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


pioneer  to  the  infant  communities,  teaching  them  to  walk  toward, 
and  not  away  from  God. 

We  preachers  of  to-day  have  a  line  of  things  made  ready  to  our 
hand.  Other  men  labored  for  this.  They  have  entered  into  rest, 
and  we  build  on  the  foundations  laid  by  them.  They  gathered 
congregations  from  the  world — the  conference  introduces  us  to 
organized  societies.  They  traveled  large  circuits,  being  prac- 
tically homeless — we  occupy  parsonages  made  possible  by  the 
development  of  their  work.  They  preached  in  settler's  cabins, 
in  halls,  and  in  school-houses.  In  contrast,  I  note  that  of  the 
sixty-five  preaching  places  now  in  Dubuque  District,  all  but  four 
have  churches.  Into  this  district  came  the  first  Upper  Iowa 
itinerants.  Whatmanner  of  men  were  they?  Usually  men  of  fine 
physique.  They  had  to  endure  hardness.  "Many  nights  in  early 
times",  we  are  told,  it  was  theirs  "to  camp  out  without  fire  or 
food  for  man  or  beast. "  The  Black  Hawk  purchase,  or  as  some- 
times called,  the  new  purchase,  had  only  a  little  while  before  opened 
the  country  for  settlement, — a  country  without  roads  unless 
Indian  trails  may  be  so  termed,  whose  streams  must  be  crossed 
by  swimming  the  horse,  and  whose  bottomless  sloughs  re- 
quired detours  that  greatly  prolonged  the  distances.  Lacking 
section-lines,  and  square  turned  roads,  guidance  at  night  was  by 
the  stars.  Without  assured  salary,  in  the  sweat  of  their  brow 
they  earned  bread.  With  hands  hardened  by  toil  of  earth  they 
beckoned  men  heavenward. 

The  apostle  Paul  made  tents ;  the  Iowa  apostle,  B.  H.  Cart- 
wright,  turned  the  soil  with  his  breaking  plow,  drawn  by  four 
yoke  of  oxen;  or  occasionally  he  earned  a  dollar  as  a  roust-about 
at  Mississippi  steamboat  landings,  by  carrying  on  board  the  wood 
used  for  firing.  He  must  preach  Christ,  and  he  had  to  stay  alive 
some  way  to  do  it.  None  the  less  were  they  men  of  fine  form. 
I  heard  one  of  them  declare  publicly  that  they  never  had  any 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


249 


difficulty  iji  telling  the  difTerence  between  aches  and  marking 
location  in  pain.  They  were  men  of  muscle  too,  as  occasion 
showed.  At  times  they  sang  the  psalm  of  David,  "Blessed  be 
the  Lord  my  strength,  who  teacheth  my  hands  to  war,  and  my 
fingers  to  fight. "  We  are  thinking  of  the  early  days,  when  society 
was  not  so  well  policed  as  now.  Keeping  order  at  a  camp  meeting 
required  something  of  the  church  militant.  More  than  one  of  the 
sons  of  Belial  who  went  to  make  trouble,  found  it,  and  could  have 
testified  that  there  were  giants  among  the  preachers  in  those  daj'S. 
Nor  were  they  finical  in  the  matter  of  dress.  It  is  related  of  a 
certain  former  Upper-Iowan,  in  quite  recent  years,  that  when  he 
arrived  at  the  town  to  which  he  had  been  appointed  pastor,  two 
boys  looked  him  over,  and  accosted  him  thus,  "Say,  mister,  we'll 
distribute  the  bills,  if  you'll  let  us  in. "  That  mistake  could 
not  have  been  made  with  a  pioneer. 

Let  me  give  you  a  picture  of  B.  H.  Cartwright's  attire.  I 
found  it  in  an  old  book.  Plain  linen  trousers,  home-made  cotton 
vest,  common  shoes,  no  socks,  no  coat,  and  a  common  chip  hat. 
This  was  the  man  who  received  the  first  Methodist  license  to 
preach  in  Iowa.  What  came  ye  out  for  to  see?  A  man  clothed 
in  soft  raiment?  Nay,  his  prototype  was  dressed  in  garment  of 
coarsest  camel 's-hair.  The  pioneer  was  again  the  voice  of  one  cry- 
ing  in  the  wilderness,  "Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord;  make  his 
paths  straight. "  He  was  a  man  sent  from  God.  He  endured 
as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible.  Heaven  and  hell,  salvation  and 
damnation,  were  very  real  to  him.  His  message  had  fire  in  it — 
fire  from  heaven,  nor  was  he  hesitant  in  speaking  of  the  fires  of 
hell.  Carlyle  could  not  possibly  have  had  him  in  mind,  when  he 
wrote  thus: 

"There  is  not  a  hamlet  where  poor  peasants  congregate,  but 
by  one  means  and  another  a  Church-Apparatus  has  been  got  to- 
gether— roofed  edifice,  with  revenues  and  belfries;  pulpit  reading 


250 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


desk,  with  Books  and  Methods;  possibility  in  short,  and  strict 
prescription.  That  a  man  stand  there  and  speak  of  spiritual  things 
to  men.  It  is  beautifiul,  even  in  its  greatest  obscuration  and  de- 
cadence, it  is  among  the  beautifiilest,  most  touching  objects  one 
sees  on  the  earth.  This  Speaking  Man  has  indeed,  in  these  times, 
wandered  terribly  from  the  point;  has,  alas,  as  it  were  totally 
lost  sight  of  the  point ;  yet  at  bottom  whom  have  we  to  compare 
with  him?  Of  aU  public  functionaries,  boarded  and  lodged  on  the 
Industry  of  Modern  Europe,  is  there  one  worthier  of  the  board 
he  has?  A  man,  even  professing,  and  never  so  languidly,  making 
still  some  endeavor  to  save  the  souls  of  men :  contrast  him  with  a 
man  professing  to  do  little  but  shoot  the  partridges  often.  I  wish 
he  could  find  the  point  again,  this  Speaking  One,  and  stick  to  it 
with  tenacity,  with  deadly  energy  for  there  is  need  of  him  yet. 
The  Speaking  Function,  this  of  Truth,  coming  to  us  with  a  living 
voice,  nay,  in  a  living  shape,  and  as  a  concrete,  practical  exemplar, 
this  with  all  our  Writing  and  Printing  Functions,  has  a  perennial 
place.    Could  he  but  find  the  point  again. " 

So  Carlyle.  You  and  I  must  defend  ourselves,  as  best  we 
may,  against  his  repeated  statement  that  we  have  lost  the  point. 
But  no  need  of  defense  on  behalf  of  the  pioneer.  He  saw  the 
point  and  kept  at  it.  Long  and  loud  and  often  unhampered  by 
grammar,  he  talked  and  pressed  to  the  hearts  of  his  hearers,  tiU 
they  cried,  "  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  to  be  saved?" 

Father  Taylor  was  not  the  only  one,  when  he  paused  in  the 
midst  of  burning  oratory,  to  say,  "I  have  lost  my  nominative  case, 
but  I'm  on  the  way  to  glory."  Of  another  Taylor,  Joel  B.,  of 
Upper  Iowa  Conference,  it  is  said  that  preaching  one  day  on  the 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  where  the  river  is  two  miles  wide,  he 
happened  to  look  across  and  saw  about  as  large  a  congregation 
gathered  on  the  Illinois  side.  One  of  Brother  Swearingen's  con- 
verts is  reported  as  coming  under  conviction  while  he  listened 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


to  the  preaching  at  a  camp-meeting  three  miles  distant.  Exag- 
gerations? Very  likely,  but  do  not  even  hyperboles  teach  some- 
thing? 

Quite  surely  preacher's  sore  throat  Is  a  disease  of  recent  origin. 
A  layman,  describing  to  me  the  power  of  an  honored  pioneer, 
the  author  of  a  hymn  that  has  gone  around  the  world,  declared 
that  he  could  make  a  sermon  out  of  "two  stomps  and  a  holler." 
I  am  quoting  his  language.  That  very  preacher  brought  scores 
into  the  joys  of  salvation.  If  I  am  asked  to  explain  this,  I  can 
only  reply,  intensity.  Apparently  their  motto  was,  "This  one  thing 
I  do"  and  they  did  it  well.  Uncultured  Methodist  preachers 
might  ramble  in  their  talks,  but  they  rambled  beautifiilly,  as  one 
critical  and  learned  listener  declared.  I  heard  Uncle  'Lisha 
Warner  say  that  in  his  preaching  no  matter  what  spot  in  the  hedge 
he  M^ent  in  at,  he  always  came  out  at  the  same  place.  He  did. 
It  was  Calvary. 

One  Upper  lowan,  still  with  us,  in  an  early  day  is  reported 
as  saying,  after  announcing  his  text,  "I  could  teU  you  all  I  know 
about  this  Scripture  in  ten  minutes,  but  I  guess  I'll  branch  out  a 
little. "  I  have  no  doubt  he  succeeded  after  the  fashion  of  that 
noted  Methodist,  Rowland  Hill,  when  he  was  preaching  in  Scot- 
land. He  began  by  saying,  "I  am  told  you  Scotch  people  wiU 
not  listen  to  a  sermon,  unless  it  is  divided  up  into  sections,  so,  in 
the  first  place  I  shall  walk  up  to  my  text  and  look  at  it.  Secondly, 
I  shall  walk  straight  through  my  text.  Thirdly,  I  shall  walk  all 
around  my  text.  And,  lastly,  I  shaU  turn,  my  back  on  my  text 
and  walk  straight  away  from  it."  They  say  he  did  best  under 
the  last  head. 

The  pioneer  was  not  homiletically  trained.  His  sermons 
gave  the  devil  a  rough  and  tumble  fight,  the  shouts  of  victory 
from  saved  miiltitudes  was  the  sign  that  the  sermons  were  from 
heaven.  Sermons  hortatory,  from  a  man  with  a  burden  like  the 


252 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


prophets  of  old,  from  a  man  with  a  woe  upon  him,  like  Paul's,  if 
he  preached  not  the  gospel.  Sermons  experiential,  from  a  man 
with  a  joy  in  his  soul,  that  he  had  been  lifted  from  the  mire  of  sin, 
his  feet  placed  on  the  rock,  and  a  new  song  put  in  his  mouth.  Ser- 
mons full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost — these  things  together  with 
their  perfect  adaptation  to  the  times  and  conditions  in  which  they 
were  uttered,  go  far  in  explanation  of  the  early  successes.  The 
sermon  grew,  and  the  form  of  growth  was  according  to  the  preach- 
er's individuality.  Certainly  it  was  without  the  rules  of  the  sem- 
inary. Neither  the  smell  of  scholastic  fire,  nor  the  odor  of  mid- 
night oil  passed  upon  it. 

Doubtless  there  were  men  of  learning  among  them,  but  is  was 
a  day  when  for  the  most  part  God  was  calling  the  modern  Amos 
from  the  plow  and  the  like  occupations.  Amos  was  not  a  prophet, 
and  had  not  attended  the  school  of  the  prophets.  Quite  like  unto 
him  was  the  Iowa  Amos  whom  God  then  called.  As  for  libraries 
and  books,  Peter  Cartwright  is  my  authority  for  the  statement, 
"Our  pocket  Bible,  hymn  book,  and  Discipline  constituted  our  li- 
brary." Said  of  Illinois,  this  described  pioneer  conditions  in 
Iowa.  Decidedly  limited  as  a  library,  but  limitless  expansiveness  in 
the  pages.  The  Bible!  Who  has  climbed  the  summit  of  its  peaks, 
who  has  reached  the  rim  of  its  horizon,  whose  mental  grasp  has 
taken  hold  of  it  all  so  that  there  is  no  more  beyond  for  him,  no 
further  development  in  the  study  of  its  pages?  The  hymn  book! 
That  shall  lift  a  man  from  the  sordid  and  earthly  into  the  realm 
of  poesy  and  song, — that  shall  cause  him  to  see  with  a  new  vision — 
that  shall  help  him  to  find  books  in  the  running  brooks,  sermons  in 
stone,  and  good  in  everything.  The  Discipline !  That  shall  teach 
him  Heaven's  first  law,  order  that  shall  show  him  the  greatest 
generalship,  ruling  his  own  spirit;  that  shall  teach  him  how  to 
have  power  with  men.  Pocket  Bible — Hymn-Book — Disci- 
pline.   A  limited  library  surely. 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


Apparently,  however,  these  three  are  the  essential  things  in 
a  working  library,  for  curiously  enough,  Stanley,  the  explorer, 
and  Cartwright,  the  pioneer,  at  opposite  sides  of  the  world,  and 
much  apart  otherwise,  seem  here  to  agree.  When  Stanley  began 
to  penetrate  the  Dark  Continent,  he  had  books  galore.  One  after 
another,  to  lighten  the  load,  these  were  tossed  into  the  jungle  till 
only  four  remained :  the  Bible,  Shakespeare,  a  Nautical  Almanac  to 
direct  their  course  as  they  journeyed,  and  one  other.  So  here  again 
we  have  the  Bible,  poetry,  and  a  guide-book,  as  the  essentials. 

Milton  tells  us  in  his  Areogapitica,  that  when  Julian,  the 
apostate,  forbade  heathen  learning  to  the  Christians  they  were  put 
to  the  shift  of  coining  "all  the  seven  liberal  sciences  out  of  the 
Bible,  reducing  it  into  diverse  forms  of  orations,  poems,  dialogues, 
even  to  the  calculating  of  a  new  Christian  grammar."  If  the  prim- 
itive Christians  could  do  so  much  with  the  Bible,  we  may  be  alto- 
gether assured  that  the  Iowa  pioneers  found  it  a  full  college  cur- 
riculum, and  an  encyclopedia  complete  enough  for  their  need. 
It  is  beyond  question  that  it  broadened  their  views,  for  where  else 
in  a  territory  the  size  of  Upper  Iowa  did  the  fathers  plan  so  much 
on  educational  lines — founding  two  colleges  and  two  seminaries, 
all  flourishing  to-day,  except  Albion  Seminary,  that  went  out  of 
commission  some  years  since. 

Next  to  the  Bible  in  the  circuit  rider's  saddle-bags  lay  the 
hymn  book.  What  a  part  song  has  had  in  the  affairs  of  this  world ! 
An  absurd  song,  "  Lillibulero,"  drove  James  II  from  the  throne 
of  England.  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too,"  and  the  like  ditties 
have  helped  men  into  the  presidency.  The  ballad-maker  has 
overshadowed  the  law-maker.  This  is  true  alike  in  political  creed 
and  religiovis  thinking.  If  John  Brown's  body  has  been  resur- 
rected by  song  for  political  purposes,  no  less  surely  have  the  doc- 
trines of  grace  been  embodied  in  the  songs  of  the  pioneers.  "John 


254 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Brown's  Body,"  could  make  men  march  to  war,  and  "I'm  glad 
Salvation's  free,"  set  the  prairies  on  fire  with  religious  enthusiasm. 

Did  you  ever  attend  an  old  time  camp-meeting?  What  sing- 
ing. None  of  the  Campbells-are-coming-aha-aha  provocatives 
of  flippancy  that  we  hear  in  church  occasionally,  but  the  stately 
old  hymns  that  went  floating  through  the  woods  inspiring  solem- 
nity and  reverence.  Listen !  There  come  wafted  over  the  decades 
the  echoes  of  penitence,  "Amazing  grace,  how  sweet  the  sound, 
that  saved  a  wretch  like  me,"  or  echoes  of  triumph,  "When  I  can 
read  my  title  clear,"  or  echoes  of  delightful  memory,  "There  is 
a  spot  to  me  more  dear,  than  native  vale  or  mountain,"  or  echoes  of 
weariness,  "How  tedious  and  tasteless  the  hours,"  or  echoes  of 
longing,  "0  Thou,  in  whose  presence  my  soul  takes  delight."  Hear 
the  woods  ring  again  with  the  heartiness  of  the  song,  and  we  feel 
again,  that  heaven  comes  down  our  souls  to  greet,  while  glory 
crowns  the  mercy  seat. 

The  camp-meeting  sermon  also.  Think  of  one  of  these  Boan- 
erges with  a  manuscript,  the  sheets  paper-weighted  to  hold  them 
in  the  breeze,  while  the  preacher  handled  stale  thunder  and  burnt- 
out  lightning.  I  can  imagine  with  what  amusement  a  pioneer 
would  listen  to  me  tonight,  reading  this  eulogy.  It  will  be  as  well 
that  I  keep  my  eyes  fastened  on  the  page  while  I  read  this  para- 
graph, lest  my  imagination  should  play  me  tricks,  and  I  fancy 
myself  face  to  face  with  an  embodied  frown.  In  his  Yale  lectures 
on  preaching.  Dr.  Dale  reaches  a  conclusion  thus,  "And  yet — not- 
withstanding my  own  habits — I  am  compelled  to  admit,  that  if 
we  can  preach  without  reading,  we  are  likely  to  preach  more  effec- 
tively." The  early  Methodist  preacher  would  have  considered 
that  Dr.  Dale  had  wasted  a  good  deal  of  time  and  argument  over 
a  self-evident  proposition,  and  all  his  hearers  would  have  said, 
amen. 

I  have  paid  tribute  to  the  hortatory  and  experiential  preach- 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


ing  of  the  fathers.  There  is  yet  another  line  on  which  we  must 
follow  them,  and  here  again  they  were  victors.  This  time  it  is 
the  region  of  polemics,  and  thfe  sermons  here  are  combative  and 
argumentative.  We,  who  live  in  a  time  of  irenics  no  longer  hear 
the  clash  of  arms  as  some  doctrinal  spear  rings  on  the  shield  of  an 
adversary.  The  fathers  had  to  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith 
that  was  in  them.  Here,  again  we  are  in  possession  of  their  vic- 
tories. The  principal  were  with  Calvinism.  Arminianism  and 
Calvinism  were  irreconcilables,  and  the  battle  was  fierce.  One 
Arminian  stated  the  position  of  his  adversaries  thus:  Religion,  if 
you  have  it,  you  won't  know  it;  if  you  get  it  you  can't  lose  it; 
if  you  lose  it,  you  never  had  it.  Or  this  way :  You  can,  and  you 
can't;  you  will  and  you  won't;  you'll  be  lost  if  you  do,  and  you'll 
be  lost  if  you  don't;  get  down  on  your  knees  and  cry  for  mercy. 
Or  as  Uncle  'Lisha  Warner  put  it:  "The  Calvinist  goes  down  into 
the  woods  and  picks  out  the  gnarliest  log  he  can  find.  He  hitches 
his  oxen  to  it,  and  snakes  it  up  out  of  the  timber,  and  when  he  has 
got  it  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  he  says,  'Well  done,  good  and  faithfvil 
log,  you've  got  up  here  because  you  couldn't  help  yourself,  I 
dragged  ye  up.'  " 

We  may  not  care  now-a-days  to  adopt  this  style  of  argu- 
mentation, but  could  any  of  lis  put  more  in  so  small  a  package, 
wrap  it  up  more  deftly,  and  tie  it  in  hard  knots  more  quickly?  All 
this  sort  of  thing  has  disappeared,  because  the  fathers  did  their 
work  so  well  that  the  Calvinism  of  to-day  is  mild-mannered,  un- 
obtrusive, and  shrinking  in  more  ways  than  one.  These  and  other 
theological  wars,  are  they  not  written  in  the  Chronicles  of  Method- 
ism, by  Abel  Stevens?  The  spirit  of  the  age  is  upon  us.  While 
we  glory  in  the  controversial  victories,  necessary  for  the  freedom 
of  faith,  and  for  the  establishment  of  the  doctrines  of  grace,  the 
pioneer  as  we  look  back  at  him  looms  the  largest  in  the  record  of 
his  power  to  turn  many  to  righteousness.    Some  preacher's  son. 


256 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


quoted  by  Professor  Curtis  of  Drew  Seminary,  has  thrown  a  sprig 
of  green  acacia  to  the  memory  of  his  father: 
"How  oft  have  I 

A  little  child,  hearkened  my  father's  voice 

Preaching  the  word. 

Again  I  see  those,  circling,  eager  faces; 

I  hear  once  more  the  solemn,  urging  words, 

That  tell  the  things  of  God  in  simple  phrase ; 

Again  the  deep-voiced,  reverent  prayer,  ascends. 

Bringing  to  the  still  summer  afternoon 

A  sense  of  the  eternal.    As  he  preached 

He  lived;  unselfish,  fearlessly  heroic." 
Heroic!  Yes,  with  a  heroism,  needing  stiff er  courage  than 
in  handling  camp-meeting  roughs,  this  kind  of  man  moulded 
sentiment  for  right  things,  for  righteousness  in  the  new  communi- 
ties, whose  very  newness  had  cut  them  loose  from  the  religious  tra- 
ditions and  restrictions  of  the  regions  from  which  they  had  emi- 
grated toward  the  setting  sun. 

Given  a  region,  with  settlers  miles  apart;  the  gaps  between 
only  slowly  filled  with  other  settlers,  for  so  it  was  here,  at  first; 
how  long  before  the  trend  shall  be  altogether  worldly?  In  this 
formative  period,  the  pioneer  preacher  put  upon  Iowa  the 
stamp  of  his  stalwart  godliness.  They  were  men  of  spinal 
columns.  Senator  Mahone,  being  asked  how  much  he  weighed, 
replied :  "  One  hundred  pounds,  but  ninety  of  them  are  backbone." 
The  like  proportion  was  manifest,  in  multiplied  instances,  among 
the  pioneers,  or  the  religious  history  of  Iowa  would  have  been 
somewhat  other  than  it  is. 

When  Uncle  'Lisha  Warner's  host  at  Thanksgiving  dinner 
uncermoniously  rose  to  carve  the  turkey,  that  fearless  local  pioneer 
preacher  caught  his  arm,  saying:  "Sit  down,  Mao,  I  am  in  the 
habit  of  asking  God's  blessing  on  that  sort  of  thing."  Uncouth? 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL 


Oh,  yes,  but  so  thoroughly  genuine  as  to  demand  and  command 
respect  from  the  company,  host  included.  A  simple  sample  this, 
but  it  serves  to  illustrate  the  type  of  men  whose  insistence  on  seek- 
ing first  the  Kingdom  of  God,  made  the  Iowa  settler  turn  his 
thoughts  to  getting  a  deed  on  a  quarter-section  of  heaven.  A 
change  in  phrase  makes  a  familiar  poem  fit  the  case : 

"A  man  the  preacher  was  to  all  the  country  dear, 

And  passing  rich  on  nothing  much  a  year; 

Remote  from  towns,  he  ran  his  godly  race. 

Nor  e'er  had  changed,  nor  wished  to  change  his  place. 

Unskillful  he  to  fawn,  or  seek  for  power 

By  doctrines  fashioned  to  the  varying  hour; 

For  other  aims  his  heart  had  learned  to  prize. 

More  bent  to  raise  the  sinner,  than  to  rise." 

It  was  my  high  privilege  in  my  early  ministry  to  have  as 
parishioner,  a  man  whose  services  and  sacrifices  had  endeared  him 
to  a  whole  county.  Without  reference  to  compensation  he  had 
gone,  on  foot,  hither  and  yon  preaching  the  gospel,  to  the  saving 
of  their  souls,  building  them  up  in  the  faith,  joining  their  lives  in 
matrimony,  consecrating  their  children  in  baptism,  comforting 
their  sick,  cheering  their  dying,  and  burying  their  dead  out  of  their 
sight. 

"  Beside  the  bed  where  parting  life  was  laid, 
And  sorrow,  guilt,  and  pain  by  turns  dismayed. 
The  reverent  champion  stood.    At  his  control 
Despair  and  anguish  fled  the  struggling  soul. 
Comfort  came  down  the  trembling  one  to  raise, 
And  his  last  fluttering  accents  whispered  praise." 
After  touching  so  many  lives  at  so  many  points,  the  remem- 
brance of  the  early  preachers  shall  not  perLsh  from  the  earth. 
The  fathers,  where  are  they,  and  the  prophets,  do  they  live  forever? 


258 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


Aye,  they  do.  They  live  again  in  this  day's  celebration.  Being 
dead,  they  yet  speak,  and  will  continue  to  speak. 

By  the  memory  of  their  unselfish  lives,  unstinted  services, 
heroic  sacrifices;  by  their  summer-time  and  winter-time  victories; 
by  the  echoes  of  their  camps  in  the  woods  and  from  their  bench- 
altars  in  prairie  school-houses;  by  the  great  company  who,  through 
their  preaching  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb; — and  what  more  shall  I  say?  Yes,  by,  their 
simple  faith  in  God  they  speak  to  us,  they  call  to  us  from  within 
the  vail.  The  Heavens  have  received  them  out  of  our  sight.  May 
their  mantle  fall  on  us!  May  the  spirit  of  Elijah  rest  on  Elisha! 
We  shall  not,  we  must  not,  be  degenerate  sons  of  such  illustrious 
sires. 

God  forbid  that  we  should  simply  garnish  the  tombs  of  the 
prophets,  without  emulating  their  virtues  and  striving  after  their 
successes. 

Faith  of  our  fathers,  we  will  preach  Thee  still  as  love  knows 
how !   Faith  of  our  fathers,  we  will  be  true  to  thee  till  death. 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


PRESIDENT  WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON'S  TRIBUTE  TO 
THE  METHODIST  PREACHER. 

The  following  lines  were  written  by  his  Excellency  WiUiam 
Henry  Harrison,  President  of  the  United  States  in  1841,  and  ad- 
dressed to  a  committee  appointed  to  investigate  spiritual  destitu- 
tion in  the  West.  It  is  a  truthful  description  of  the  early 
"Circuit  Riders"  of  Iowa  as  well  as  of  states  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river.    It  forms  a  fitting  close  to  this  book. 

"Who  and  what  are  they?  I  answer,  entirely  composed  of 
ministers  who  are  technically  called  'Circuit  Riders,'  a  body  of 
men  who,  for  zeal  and  fidelity  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  they 
undertake,  are  not  exceeded  by  any  others  in  the  whole  world. 
I  have  been  a  witness  of  their  conduct  in  the  Western  country 
for  nearly  forty  years.  They  are  men  whom  no  labor  tires,  no 
scenes  disgust,  no  danger  frightens  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty. 
To  gain  recruits  for  their  Master's  service  they  sedvdously  seek  out 
the  victims  of  vice  in  the  abodes  of  misery  and  wretchedness. 
The  vow  of  poverty  is  not  taken  by  these  men,  but  their  conduct 
is  precisely  such  as  it  would  have  been  had  they  taken  one.  Their 
stipulated  pay  is  barely  sufficient  to  perform  the  services  assigned 
to  them.  With  much  the  larger  portion,  the  horse  which  carries 
them  is  the  only  animated  thing  they  can  call  their  own,  and  the 
contents  of  their  saddle-bags  the  sum  total  of  their  earthly  pos- 
sessions. 

"If,' within  the  period  I  have  mentioned,  a  traveler  on  the 
western  frontier  had  met  a  stranger  in  some  obscure  way,  or  as- 
siduously urging  his  course  through  the  intricacies  of  a  tangled 
forest,  his  appearance  staid  and  sober  and  a  countenance  indicat- 
ing that  he  was  in  search  of  some  object  in  which  his  feelings  were 
deeply  interested,  his  apparel  plain  but  entirely  neat,  and  his 


26o 


UPPER  IOWA  CONFERENCE 


little  baggage  adjusted  with  peculiar  compactness,  he  might  be 
almost  certain  that  stranger  was  a  Methodist  Preacher,  hurry- 
ing on  to  perform  his  daily  task  of  preaching  to  separate  and 
distant  congregations:  and,  should  the  same  traveler,  upon  ap- 
proaching some  solitary,  unfinished  and  scarcely  habitable  cabin, 
hear  the  praises  of  the  Creator  chanted  with  peculiar  melody,  or 
the  doctrines  of  the  Saviour  urged  upon  the  attention  of  some 
six  or  eight  individuals  with  the  same  zeal  and  energy  that  he  had 
seen  displayed  to  a  crowded  audience  of  a  populous  city,  he 
might  be  certain,  without  inquiry,  that  it  was  the  voice  of  a 
Methodist  Preacher. " 


INDEX 


Page 

Aecumenical  Conference,  dele- 
gates to,   165 

Aid  Society,  Mutual   93 

Albrook,  J.  B  62,  163,  164 

Alexander,  Mrs.  Elizabeth   59 

Ames,  Bishop  E.  R.   227 

Ames,  A.  H   235 

Anderson,  John  S   162 

Appointments: 

First  Iowa  District   21 

First  Iowa  Conference   29 

First  Upper  Iowa  Conference  40 

Asburv,  Bishop  Francis   227 

Ayres,'  J.  C  46, 102,  160,  163 

Babcock,  Q.  C   61 

Baker,  Bishop  O.  C.   227 

Barclay,  \V.  F  104,  164 

Barnes,  Frank  G   63 

Bassett,  T.  J   60 

Bastion,  N.  S   13 

Benevolences,  aggregate  of  90,  231 

Benevolences  and  the  Super- 
annuates   90 

Benton,  Guy  P   60 

Biographical  Sketches   102 

Bissell,  J.  W  60,  163,  165 

Black  Hawk  Purchase   9 

Blue,  J.  D.    165 

Board  of  Church  Extension   68 

Boomer,  Albert  '___145,  164 

Boundaries  of  the  Conference: 

Established   72 

Efforts  to  change   73 

Bowman,  George  B.-.25,  53,  105,  160 

Bowman,  John                106,  162,  164 

Boyd,  Hugh   57 

Brindell,  G.  W  108,  164 

Bronson,  H.  S.  108,  160 

Bronson,  S.  C   165 

Brown,  Philo  E  161,  163 

Bruce,  H.  J   17 

Brunson,  Alfred   14 

Brush,  William  59,  109,  162,  164 

Bugbee,  Lucius  H   59 

Burlington; 

First  class  in   15 

First  preaching  in   14 

Cameron,  J.  R   246 

Carlyle,  Thomas   250 

Carlton,  W.  W   163 

Carnegie,  Andrew  59,  61 

Cart wTight,  Peter   .15,  16 

CartAATight,  B.  H  14,  248 

Casebeer,  J.  B   110 

Catlin,  Lyman   111 

Celebration,  Semi-Centennial   222 

Charles  Qty  College   220 

Church,  H.  S   163 


Page 

Church  Extension: 

In  the  Conference  65,  232 

General  Board  of   68 

Chtu-ch,  first  in  Iowa   11 

Church  Membership,  gro-wth  of..  229 
Circuit  Riders,  Harrison's  tribute 

to   259 

Claimant  Fund,  Conference   94 

Clark,  Bishop  D.  W  227 

Clark,  J.  J   165 

Clifford,  George  161,  164,  234 

Clinton,  J.  W.  111,  162,  164 

Coke,  Bishop  Thomas  227 

Coleman,  Andrew,  46,  112,  160 

Coleman,  F.  M.   163 

Coleman,  J.  T  46,  160 

Colleges: 

Charles  City   220 

Cornell  53,  56,  219,  236 

German  220 

Iowa  City   53 

Morningside   220 

Simpson   219 

Conferences: 

Des  Moines  73,  219 

Iowa  29,  73,  218 

North  Indiana   237 

Northwest  Iowa  219 

Northwest  German  220 

Saint  Louis  German  220 

Upper  Iowa  40,  72,  218 

Collin,  Alonzo   57 

Cook,  W.  L   17 

Cooke,  HarrietteJ   57 

Cooley,  D.  N  56,  145,  164 

Cornell  College  53,  56,  219,  236 

Cranston,  Bishop  Earl  223 

Crippen,  J.  T  162,  164 

Crossan,  Alexander   146 

Cullom,  U.  S.  Senator  S.  M  115 

Curtis,  Professor  O.  A   256 

Davenport : 

First  Church  in   18 

First  Class  in   17 

Dead,  Roll  of  the  167 

DeBra,  H.  R   63 

Deceased  Members  167 

Delegates  to: 

Aecumenical  Conference  165 

General  Conference  163 

Des  Moines  Conference  73,  219 

District,  First  Iowa   21 

Dimmitt,  J.  G  84,  114,  161 

Dred  Scott  Decision,  resolutions 

on  the   86 

Drummond,  C.  E   165 

Dubuque: 

First  village   10 

First  preaching  in   11 


Dubuque :  Page 

First  class  in   12 

First  church  in   12 

First  quarterly  meeting  in._  14 

Egbert,  Henry   164 

Elliott,  George  235 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo  246 

Epworth  L,eagTae   100 

Epworth  Seminary  62,  219,  236 

Farley,  J.  P  56,  147,  164 

Fathers  of  the  Conference  227 

Fawcett,  William   234 

Fellows,  S.  N  164,  166,  223,  224 

Fellows,  Samuel  M  56,  57,  115 

First  Year  of  the  Upper  Iowa 

Conference   40 

Fleming,  T.  E  163,  164,  246 

Fobs,  Bishop  CD.,  tribute  to 

Kynett   69 

Freer,  S.  C  117,  161 

Freer,  H.  H   57 

Fuller,  I.  K  117,  161 

General  Conference: 

Address  to  Abraham  Lincoln  84 

Delegates  to   163 

German  College   220 

German  Conference: 

Northwest   220 

Saint  Louis   220 

Gilruth,  James  118 

Golden,  T.  C  162 

Gould,  C.  L  163,  165 

Gould,  John   161 

Green,  H.  H  163,  164 

Half  Century's  Membership  155 

Hammond,  B.  C   162 

Hand,  W.  H   165 

Hardman,  Henry   19 

Harlan,  James   53 

Harlan,  James  E   57 

Harmer,  S.  Y   119 

Hawn,  R.  G   32 

Heald,  S.  W  120,  164 

Henderson,  D.  B   61 

Henderson,  S.  H   162 

Henderson,  T.  S  223 

Hestwood,  J.  F  33,  246 

Higher  Education  53,  236 

Historical  Register   174 

Hitt,  Honorable  R.  R   115 

Hobart,  Chauncy   17 

Hobart,  Norris   17 

Holm,  Adam   62 

Holmes,  D.  N.  121,  161,  164 

Houghton,  H.  W  121,  161,  164 

Hurlburt,  R.  F  63,  235 

Indian  Massacre,  Spirit  Lake   48 

Ingham,  S.  W.  Jr   162 

Ingham,  S.  W.  Sr  26,  36,  122 

Iowa: 

District  21,  225,  227 

Conference  29,  73,  218 

Methodism  in..   218 


Iowa :  Page 
Opened  to  settlement  by  the 

whites   9 

Iowa  City  College   53 

Iowa  Wesleyan  University  218 

Janes,  Bishop  E.  S  -  40,  227 

Johnson,  A.  W   35 

Johnston,  W.  F   164 

Jones,  G.  W   63 

Keeler,  R.  W.  _.57,  62,  122,  161,  163 

Kendig,  A.  B   234 

King,  W.  F  57.  164,  166 

Kynett,  A.  J  

-___65,  68,  124,  161,  164,  166,  232 

Lamb,  E.  D   126 

Lamont,  Daniel   161 

Larrabee,  Governor  William   61 

Leaders  in  the  Conference   45 

Lease,  William  162,  164,  223 

Lee,  Bishop  H.  W.,  tribute  to  the 

Methodists   37 

Lee,  S.  A  82,  126,  162 

Lewis,  W.  S  63,  235 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  Reply  to  the 

General  Conference   85 

Lockwood,  E.  J   165 

Log  Church,  in  Dubuque   12 

Loyalty  of  the  Conference   81 

Mabrv,  W.  D   163 

Magee,  J.  C  163,  164 

Manwell,  A.  C   162 

McCord,  J.  S   127 

Mclntyre,  J.  S   128 

McKim,  S.  T   129 

McLean,  Byron   60 

Members  of  the  Conference: 

Deceased  167 

Former  174 

Living  184 

Original   40 

Membership  of  the  Church, 

growth  of  229 

Merry,  J.  F   165 

Methodism  in  Iowa  218 

Miller,  E.  L  163 

Miller,  Emory  161,  164 

Milton,  John  253 

Ministerial  Record  184 

Mitchell,  J.  T   10 

Montgomery,  John  246 

Morningside  College  220 

Morris,  Bishop  T.  A.  21,  29,  225 

Mutual  Aid  vSociety   93 

Newton,  Isaac  129,  162 

Northwest  Iowa  Conference  219 

Northwest  German  Conference. .  220 

Norton,  Roderick  60,  130 

Organization  of  Churches,  date  of  153 

Organizations  of  the  Church   97 

Original  Members  of  the  Confer- 
ence r  43 

"Our  Boys"   233 

Pancoast,  Samuel   161 


Page 

Pastor's  Wife,  tribute  to   170 

Patriotism  and  Moral  Reform  81 

Paxton,  W.  F  131,  162 

Peebles,  R.  W.   132,  162 

Pioneer  Preacher,  Fleming's,  tri- 
bute to   246 

Pitner,  W.  F   163 

Planting  of  Methodism  in  Iowa__  9 

Pollock,  John   62 

Poor,  W.  H   59 

Porterfield,  D.  A   165 

Pratt,  H.  O   165 

Presiding  Elders,  list  of   160 

Price,  Hiram  18,  56,  73,  148,  164 

Quarterly  Meetings: 

Old  time   22 

Changes  in   241 

Randall,  B.  H   10 

Rankin,  J.  M   160 

Record : 

Ministerial   184 

Of  Officials   160 

Reed,  H.  W.13,  28,  62,  84, 132, 160, 163 

Register,  Historical   174 

Rhea,  J.  H  134,  164 

Ricker,  Rufus   135 

Ridlington,  Joseph   246 

Rigby,  J.  H  62,  136,  163 

Robertson,  J.  E  36,  59,  148 

•Robertson,  F.  M   163 

Rockingham,  first  class  in   16 

Roll  of  the  dead   167 

Ross,  A.  C   165 

Ruble,  J.  H   16 

Sabbath,  Resolutions  on  the   88 

Saint  Louis  German  Conference,  220 

Sanborn,  W.  W  67,  149 

Scott,  Bishop  Levi   227 

Scott,  W.  S   164 

Semi-Centennial  Celebration   222 

Sessions  of  the  Upper  Iowa  Con- 
ference  158 

Sessions,  C.  M   246 

Shanklin,  W.  A   60 

Sheffer,  Daniel  137,  162 

Simpson,  Bishop  Matthew   227 

Simpson  College   219 

Sioux  Citv  District   47 

Sketches,' Biographical   102 

Skinner,  Flias. -34,  161,  164,  222,  246 


Page 

Slavery,  Resolutions  on   86 

Smith,"  B.  D   63 

Snyder,  D.  B   165 

Snyder,  E.  A   i64 

State  Schools,  the  allies  of  the 

church  in  christian  education  238 

Statistical  Tables   153 

vStevens,  Mrs.  J.  H   149 

vStowers,  C.  N   59 

Stuntz,  Homer  C  165,  235 

Summers,  Henry  19,  21,  24,  225 

Superannuates-.    91 

Swearingen,  Richard  

 34,  75,  138,  162,  164,  250 

Swisher,  A.  E  76,  77,  165 

Taylor,  C.  H  139,  163 

Taylor,  Joel  B.  140,  161,  164,  250 

Taylor,  Landon  31,  47,  140,  160 

Taylor,  T.  B  .   165 

Temperance,  Resolutions  on   87 

Tobacco,  Resolutions  on   88 

Trowbridge,  G   63 

Truesdell,  C.  G  161,  234 

Universities: 

De  Pauw   237 

Iowa  Wesleyan  218 

Upper  Iowa  59,  219,  236 

Upper  Iowa  Conference.  __40,  72,  218 
Upper  Iowa  University  _.59,  219,  236 

Van  Ness,  J.  G   163 

Waller,  Richard   150 

Warner,  H.  E   235 

Warner,  S.  B  235 

Warner,  Uncle  'Lisha  251,  256 

'\^^augh,  Bishop  Beverly   24 

Weed,  Bartholomew  19,  25,  30 

Wheeler,  D.  H  56,  234 

Widows  of  Deceased  Members  170 

Williams,  S.  N   57 

Wilson,  Sheppard  151,  164 

Wolfe,  F.  C.  142,  162,  164 

Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  So- 
ciety  97 

Woman's  Home  Missionary  Soci- 
ety  98 

Wyant,  W.  W   165 

Yoran,  Calvin  164 

Young,  Alcinous  143,  160 

Young,  E.  K  144,  234 


INDEX  OF  PORTRAITS 


Page 


Alden,  B.  D  

Atchison,  H.  D..., 
AUshouse,  Henry. 

Bailey,  H  

Baker,  J.  E  

Baker,  J.  F  

Ballz,  James —  -  . 

Bargelt,  H.  S  

Bame»,  B.  C  


232  Barton,  H.  H  

56  BiUingsly,  A.  M.  ... 

160  Bin^,  G.  M  

160  Bird,  J.  B   

240  Bimey,  G.  H.  

216  Bishop,  A.  T  

80  Bindenber^er,  J.  F. 

152  Bissell,  J.  W  

200  Black,  J.  F  


Page 

240  Blodgett,  J.  N.  208 

..  216  Bowder,  H.  J    224 

..  232  Boyd,  Hugh   224 

...  184  Bretnall,  G.  H...  208 

..  200  Bretnall,  John  _  216 

..    80  BrctnaU,  S.  C   56 

.-_  208  Brown,  F.  Q   240 

..216  Bronson,  S.  C   64 

...   80  Brackett,  A.  C   216 

...  80  Bailey,  B.  S   184 


Page 

Burnard,  C.  S   64 

Carlton,  W.  W  200 

Casper,  C.  C   224 

Cassidy,  F.  P  240 

Cattcrmole,  E.  G  __.  56 

Chaffee,  W.  N   200 

Caffyn,  J.  R  ._  240 

Clark,  L.  C   160 

Clement,  W.  H  160 

Clinton,  D.  W     160 

Cobb,  Wm   208 

Coleman,  F.  M   56 

Cleveland,  C.  W   192 

Cole,  Frank   216 

Copeland.  E  G   184 

Crinklaw,  G.  B  192 

Crippen,  J.  T    192 

Crowder,  W.  G..-.    192 

Curran,  A.  B  208 

Crawford,  H.  T   208 

Davis,  B.  A....   208 

Davis,  W,  B....    216 

Dawson,  John  160 

Dearini,  J.  A  184 

DeBra,  H.  R   192 

Dolph,  John   152 

Dorcas,  H.  F   224 

Dutton,  D.  C   232 

Dwello,  P.  N   224 

Dyre,  W.  R   240 

DePuy,  O.  C   224 

Eberhart,  J.  S    80 

ElUs,  F    152 

Elwick,  T.  J    184 

Evans,  T.  M.    56 

FairaU,  H.H    56 

FeUows,  S.  N   1 

Felt,  C.  A   224 

Ferguson,  S,  R  216 

Fisher,  F.  P   184 

Fleming,  T.  E    152 

Foote,  Horace   224 

Foster,  A.  D  184 

Foster,  A.  T   -  232 

Goodsell,  S.-    64 

Gammons,  John   184 

Gibbens,  W.  A.   56 

GoodeU,  M.  A   200 

Garrison,  G.  L  200 

Gould,  C.  L    56 

Gould,  J.  W    184 

Green,  H.  H   240 

GruweU,  E.  T    80 

HaUett,  A.  A   64 

Hammond,  B.  C   80 

Hanner,  J.  R.  A   64 

Hawn,  C.  A..    56 

Hayward,  J.  H   -  240 

HeaUy.  F.  T..  64 


Bacon,  W,  F  128 

Barclay,  W.  F.  141 

Bargelt,  E.  S  ._  105 

Bowles,  O.  D...-  120 

Bowman,  Geo.  B...  105 

Bowman,  John   144 

Brindell,  G.  W  105 

Bronson,  H,  S    112 

Brown,  W.  N   105 

Camp,  Alonzo   128 

Clinton,  J.  W   105 

Coleman,  Andrew  120 

Cook,  T.  N   144 

Cooley,  L.  S  -  128 

Craft,  W.  S   112 

Cummings,  Wm.   144 

Dimmitt,  J.  G    .120 

Eberhart,  U   128 

Edwards,  A.  H.  Marsh. __.  128 

FeUows,  S.  M.   112 

Ferris,  J.  M   112 

Freer,  S.  C   105 

Gilruth,  James   144 

Golden,  T.  C...  120 


Page 

Hendricks,  T.  H.   200 

Hestwood,  J.  F  152 

Hilburn,  Joel  152 

HiEmer,  W.  C   224 

Holm,  Adam    232 

Hoskyn,  J.  H    56 

Howe,  D.  N  200 

Hudson,  C.  K   184 

Hunt,  E.  G    232 

Jeffries,  E.  W   80 

Johnson,  J.  E   232 

Jones,  J.  B     152 

Keister,  B.  B   216 

Kennedy,  G.  H  192 

Keppel,  J.  H   232 

Kirwin,  Will   160 

King,  W.  F    56 

Knight,  E.  A   160 

Kynett,  J.  W   240 

Lang,  E.  A     80 

Leaman,  E.  R  152 

Lease,  Wm   152 

Lemen,  W.  M   216 

Lemon,  L.  C   192 

Linn,  F.  H     200 

Littler,  J.  J  192 

Lockard,  L.  L   216 

Locke,  M.J   192 

Lockwood,  E.  J    80 

Lusk,  I.  C.    56 

Lusk,  R.  C    184 

Magee,  J.  C   160 

Manning,  G.  R   240 

Manwell,  A.  C    80 

Masters,  Mark    200 

Maxfield,  G.  E,   216 

McCord,  J.  W  224 

Mcintosh,  A.  M   152 

Mellott,  W.  R   152 

Mershon,  N.  A....   64 

Metcalf,  J.  B    80 

Miller,  E.  L    80 

Miller,  F.  X..   184 

MUler,  R.  A   184 

Norton,  N.  F  ...200 

Parker,  D.  M   152 

Parkin,  C.  A  232 

Parsons,  R.  D   56 

Peddicord,  C.  A   ..200 

Perry,  D.  C  -   152 

Perry,  M.  W.  S   240 

Pitner,  W.  F  160 

Piper,  Walter   ...  216 

Platts,  S.  C   192 

Puckett,  R.  H  200 

Pye,  Nathaniel    208 

Potter,  T.  P   160 

Porter,  R.  V  208 

Pratt,  H.  O  192 

DECEASED  MEMBERS 

Gould,  P.  W   128 

Green,  L.  N   105 

Harmer,  S.  Y   112 

Haymond,  Jacob   120 

Heald,  S.  W    112 

Howe,  W.  R   128 

Keagle,  L.  S  105 

Keeler,  R.  W  112 

KeUev,  J.  L   105 

Ketchum,  E   144 

Kynett,  A.  J   120 

Ingham,  S.  W.,  Sr.   112 

Jones,  Nathaniel.-   128 

Lamb,  E.  D   105 

Lee,  S.  A   128 

Mason,  A.  A  128 

McCord,  J.  S...  112 

McCormac,  W.  E   105 

Mclntyre,  J.  S..  144 

McKim,  S.  T   112 

McLean,  C.  F   112 

MiUer,  W.  H....   128 

Metcalf,  T.  S  _  .128 

Montgomery,  W  105 


PAGfi 

Rankin,  L  M   208 

Robbins,  K.  W   208 

Robertson,  F.  M  160 

Robinson,  J.  Q   208 

Robinson,  W.  W   184 

Rodgers,  C.  W   152 

Rogers.  G.  W   192 

Ross,  W.  E   160 

Salisbury,  H.  R.._.   152 

Sessions,  C.  M   224 

Shaffer,  F,  P....   184 

Shanklin,  W.  A   56 

Shear,  G.  E   64 

Sheckler,T.  H   232 

Shoemaker,  G.  B  232 

Skinner,  Elias   64 

Skinner,  W.  S   56 

Slingerland,  W.  H  208 

Slocum,  P.  S   224 

Smedley,  M.  T   192 

Smith,  A.  W   232 

Smith,  C.  E  224 

Smith,  M.  H     80 

Smith,  M.N    56 

Smith,  S.  S   80 

Smith,  W.  H    64 

Smith,  W.  W  160 

Snell,  G.  W  200 

Soper,  B.  W   208 

Spry,W.  F   160 

Stevens,  A.  D..   232 

Stubbs,  L.  D   184 

Sutherland,  G.  F  192 

Swisher.  L.  A   216 

Swisher,  M.  S  208 

Taylor,  T.  E   ..216 

Trimble,  T.  A   216 

Troy,  H.  W  ...240 

Van  Buren,  W.  E  224 

Van  Home,  J.  P  224 

Van  Ness,  J.  G.  232 

Wagner,  J.  E    80 

Waite,  E.  G.    64 

Ward,  A.  G    160 

Welch,  A.  D   192 

Wheat,  CM.       -   200 

Westren,  R.  T...  192 

Wilcox,  H,  E    64 

Williams,  H   152 

Willis,  F.  N   ....  200 

Witzigman,  F.  C  208 

Wolfe,  Reese    64 

Wyatt.  J.  B   64 

Williams,  S.  V  224 

Young,  F.  G....    64 

Young,  Wm   232 

Zavodsky,  F.  J  232 


Newton,  Isaac  120 

NeweU,  O.  R   144 

Norton,  R  128 

Peebles,  R.  W...  112 

Pilbeam,  Henry   144 

Pratt,  L.  M   105 

Reed,  H.  W   112 

Ricker,  Rufus..  ...112 

Rigby,  J.  H   105 

Shefter,  Daniel   105 

Smedley,  W.  E  105 

Smith,  B.  D  112 

Swearingen,  R   144 

Spry,  J.  T    144 

Taylor,  C.  H   128 

Taylor,  Joel  B  144 

Taylor,  Landon  120 

Ward,  Z.  R     144 

Warner,  Horace  128 

WUcox,  J.  F  128 

Wolfe,  F.  C   144 

Woods,  A.  G.  144 

Young,  E.  K...  112 


